Devil's Spawn
by StarvingLunatic
Summary: Pan spills a family secret that turns Regina's world upside down. At first, she wants justice or revenge. When she loses control of herself, she just wants to not feel like a thing. Emma, knowing that feeling, tries to help Regina maintain while not falling apart herself. Together, they go on a journey to discover just who they are, with Henry there to support them. SwanQueen.
1. To Hell and Back

I don't own these characters; Disney/ABC does.

A/N: this story during/takes place after "Save Henry" and ignores everything once Pan has Regina, Emma, and Snow trapped at his tree. I've also changed up bits of "Save Henry" because I couldn't remember what happened and for the sake of my insanity did not go back to re-watch the episode. I read a summary of the episode and hopefully that'll be enough. If not, please, bear with me. Thank you.

A/N the second: I do not have a beta, so please excuse my mistakes. This story plays with a few concepts from my last story in this fandom, but you don't have to read that to enjoy this one. There will be SwanQueen, so consider yourself warned if same-sex relationships aren't your thing. Last but not least, if you want updates on the story, you can catch my Facebook page (there's a link on my profile) or just check my profile. Okay, so, after all of that, on with the story!

Devil's Spawn

1: To Hell and Back

Regina did not have any regrets in life. Yes, there were things she was sorry for. Tons of things she wished never happened when she was younger, but she would not change things in her life. They all got her to the point of adopting her son, the love of her life. So, Pan had grossly miscalculated his latest trap.

While Emma and Snow wallowed in what they considered missteps rather than owning up to their decisions, Regina could push it all aside. It was not that she did not care. It was just that she had learned not to look back, not to dwell on the past, as that only led to pain.

Thanks to that, Regina had been able to pull Henry's heart right out of Pan's chest while also taking possession of Pandora's box, holding that useless imp. Now, she had her hand in Pan's chest again, clutching the heart of Neverland's god and ready to pluck it like a ripe apple. He gagged, more in surprise than pain, staring at her with wide, disbelieving eyes. She smirked at him, feeling his desire to breathe easy in the palm of her hand. Guess he did not know how fast she was and how much Henry meant to her.

"Regina!" Emma and Snow White cried, still stuck to Pan's stupid tree. Good. She did not want them to try to stop her.

"H-how?" he managed to croak out of his trembling mouth. She was not sure what the question pertained to. How was she able to live a life with no regrets? How was she able to put her hand in a god's chest, not once but twice within the blink of an eye? How was she a mere fist away from slaughtering said god? Who knew. Who cared?

Regina stared him down with no problem, no fear, just fury. How dare he think he could just steal her son? The nerve of him to think she would not punish him, the arrogance. But, now, as their eyes locked, she could see his pride dim just a little, knowing he lived at her whim now.

"You honestly think you can just try to take my son's life and there would be no repercussions whatsoever? Fool doesn't begin to cover it," she hissed and gripped just a little tighter.

He whined and winced, looking very much like the teenager he wished he could be forever. She laughed as she tilted her head to regard him. He was nothing more than a disgusting worm, even with all his power.

She smirked at him. "Don't you know who I am?"

"Wait," he begged as her grip tightened a little. A bead of sweat ran down his cheek. His eyes implored her to reconsider.

Her eyes flashed. "Why should I?"

She had killed for far less. This monster had stolen her child's life, and undoubtedly done more while he had custody of Henry. He deserved nothing short of the cruelest tortures she could think of, but since her dungeon was back in the Enchanted Forest, she would settle for feeling his life drain from him as she crushed his heart into dust. Her muscles jump at the sheer thought of it, tightening her hand for just a moment. He flinched and twisted, but remained on his feet.

"Regina," Emma said, reminding Regina that she and her infuriating mother existed. She grunted, displaying she was still stuck to the tree. _Good_.

Regina did not bother to look at them right now. She did not care to hear whatever goody-goody nonsense they wanted to spout. This thing — creature — had harmed the only person on Earth that mattered to her. She snarled at him and he choked up a bit as she tugged at his heart. And then he smirked at her. She growled again and held tighter. _How dare he look at me like that, like he has me?!_

He winced and swallowed hard, closing one eye briefly. A thrill ran through her and then he looked in her eyes. He dared to try to look challenging at her, as if she could snuff his life out with a mere flex of her fingers.

"Regina, we both know you're not going to do this," Pan had the nerve to say.

Tilting her head, Regina glared at him like the insignificant insect he was. "Do you honestly believe that? Don't you know who I am?"

Pan chuckled darkly, like he had some grand scheme in place. "I know you better than you know you and if you take your hand out of my chest, I might be able to illuminate you."

"I don't want anything from you other to watch you die a slow, painful death!" she gritted her teeth and squeezed. This so-called god screamed and squirmed under her control. It felt delicious, invigorating even. Breathing in, she felt like she took in his fear and it sated a deep hunger in her that she could not begin to describe. But, she would need more.

Licking his lips, he maintained eye contact with her and tried his best to look smug. She could see where Rumple got it from. "Regina Mills, daughter of Cora, the daughter of common, drunkard miller, and Prince Henry, fourth in line for the throne before his father saw fit to lose the entire kingdom. Did you ever wonder why Rumple was so infatuated with you? Did you ever wonder why your life went so fantastically wrong?"

She growled and held just a little tighter. "Nothing went wrong." She tingled as he coughed in agony.

"Regina!" Emma called to her again, maybe to rein her in or maybe to keep her from listening to Pan. It did not matter. Emma was an afterthought to her. Right now, Pan had her complete attention, as she did so want to feel and watch him die.

Wincing, Pan somehow worked a laugh from his tense throat and looked down on her with such condescension, as if he focused on a small, sniveling dog. "Everything went exactly as planned. Only you don't know it and you're too stupid to figure it out."

She gave his heart another little tug and his knee buckled as he hollered in pain. "Watch who you call stupid."

"Regina," Emma tried to get through to her again, but Regina could barely hear her voice now. What the hell did Pan know about her life?

Coughing again, Pan stood as best he could. "No, stupid is rather an understatement. Haven't you ever wondered why he used you to cast the Dark Curse? Why not cast it himself? He's the Dark One, after all. Shouldn't he have the power to do this? These questions never crossed your mind?"

Of course they had. She had never been able to figure it out, though. Why did Rumple need her? He had waited some three hundred years for her. Why not someone else? Why not himself? She had done so much research on the Dark Curse in her near twenty years of downtime. Getting Henry had caused that to pause, but she had not found much on it. She definitely could not figure out why Rumple needed her, but it did not matter.

"I need you to stop talking," Regina said.

"Why? I have all the answers for all of the questions you were too scared to ask. I know exactly why Rumple picked you, targeted you," Pan hissed.

Part of her wanted to just crush his heart before he could go on. Surely this was a diversion, some kind of tactic to distract her and gain the upper hand. Unfortunately, she was the curious type over certain things, but her hand never left his chest.

"Talk," she growled, giving an encouraging squeeze.

Flinching, he bent over more and groaned in pain. "So, once upon a time…" He hollered in agony as she gave a good, proper press to his heart.

"Don't get cute. Just talk."

He looked at her with one eye shut tight. "It had to be you. A child of darkness. _The_ child of darkness. Haven't you wondered how you picked up on magic so easily? How your mother was so good at it? Humans, regular humans, tend to have some trouble with spell casting without ingredients and especially have trouble with pure dark magic. You… you took to it like a fish to water. Why?"

"Just talk," she snarled.

He chuckled and smirked at her as he opened his eye again, trying so hard to glare at her. He panted before continuing. "The fairies refuse to touch you because of your blood, Regina. Rumple needed you because of your blood. It is practically black, but with a touch of gold. You need so much power to cast the Dark Curse, beyond needing the heart of the one you love the most. The power was even beyond the Dark One. He needed your blood, but also… his blood."

"His blood?" Regina felt like she should just pop his heart like a grape, not engage in this any further, but she needed to know. Where was Pan going with this? Dread bubbled into her stomach and she felt her own fear creep into her veins, troubling this blood he just mentioned. The anxiety drowned out the delight she felt from holding Pan's heart in her head.

Licking lips, he gave her another smirk. "Oh, yes, the Dark Curse required his blood as well, but he couldn't ruin the risk of you growing to love him, now could he? He just needed you to cast the Curse, so he could go off and find his son, the one he dared to abandon, but the child he adored above all things, including you, and ruining your soul meant nothing for him to do it. He just needed your power, your blood, your love, your life to get him back to his beloved Baelfire. It did not matter what happened to you. Baelfire meant everything him and you meant nothing."

Regina's body shook and it felt like something inside of her clawed at her very bones, cutting through everything inside of her. "No! He's not my father!" _Never!_ She knew her mother had history with Rumpelstiltskin, but nothing like what Pan implied.

"Regina! Regina, don't listen to that bastard!" Part of her could hear Emma struggling, grunting, probably trying to get to her, but still stuck to the tree. Regina did not turn away from Pan, though.

Pan laughed darkly, still hunched over and still under her control, but it was like he had all the power yet again. "Oh, really? Do you honestly believe Prince Henry was your father? Your biological father? Hell, do you even believe he loved you? After all, did he ever really help you?"

Regina growled and tried to keep out thoughts of her father. He had been a coward, but he was still her father. He loved her. He was scared of her mother. That was why he never helped, but he loved her.

Pan pressed on, leaning in just a little closer, as if to taunt her. "He served you out of fear. He knew what lurked inside of you. He knew the Dark One's blood coursed through your veins. He could feel the horror inside of you. He knew you had the potential to be even more of a terror than Cora could ever be. He knew you could be worse than a million Dark Ones because you had the imp's blood, but you also had a god's blood."

"He's not my father!" Rumpelstiltskin was no relation of hers!

There was that damned smirk again. "He let your mother think she won because he needed you to grow up loving your father. He planned this all out. It was the only way, after all. Your birth, upbringing, destruction, all so he could find his precious son, Baelfire without losing the only other thing that mattered to him, his power. He had allowed Baelfire to fall into another dimension without him and it ate at him for centuries until he could create you. His perfect little key to an impossible lock, making it to a land without magic, but with magic. He used you as a tool, just for his son. Ruined you, just for his son."

"No!" Regina pressed herself closer to Pan and clutched his heart even tighter.

His breath hitched and he paused for a moment, but he pushed forward. "Yes! You're nothing more than a tool. A little pet project Rumple made to save his precious son. You didn't matter. You never mattered."

"Regina, don't listen to him!" Emma was probably screaming, but she sounded so far away.

Regina took a breath, trying to calm a building torrent, but it was impossible. It was one thing to use her. She had always suspected. But, could that lying bastard of an imp actual be her sire? No. Not possible. Her mother would never have… Of course her mother would have if it meant power.

Pan laughed. "You've always been a tool, nothing more. Something your mother used to try to put one over on the Dark One, then something she used climb the social ladder, and, lastly, something your father used to find his beloved son. You know all about beloved sons, don't you, Regina? Wouldn't you do anything for Henry? Travel across dimensions? Become a monster, well, more of a monster?" He glanced at Emma and smiled. "Create a monster?"

"She's not a monster," Regina snarled and clutched his heart tighter as her own heart punched her ribs. She could feel his heart pulse in her palm and she itched to destroy him, to shut him up. She had not turned Emma into a monster. She had done best to keep Emma from having to dig deep and see what deviltry might emerge.

Regina had done much wrong in her life. So much wrong. Things most people could not imagine in their darkest moments or nightmares for some of the most frivolous reasons imaginable. Was it all just a set up? All for what? Her blood? The Dark Curse? Some little bastard who squirted in a vulnerable, teenaged Emma and abandoned her as well as their son?

Pan choked a little before he found his voice again. "No, she's not a monster. Just Henry's real mother, the one who will take him from you, the real monster. He has his true family now and you're nothing. A tool, a means to an end, a key. Someone Rumple put in place to raise his grandchild until the real family showed up. A tool, Regina, just a tool." Pan leaned in again. "Nothing more than a tool. A thing, Regina. You might as well be a hand."

She squeezed and he groaned. "Speaking of hands."

"Regina, don't listen to him!" Emma grunted more as she struggled to pull free from Pan's tree, wanting to save the day, play the hero.

Pan shook his head. "No, Regina, listen to every word. You're nothing. A drop of ichor from the god Lilith and poisoned ink of the Dark One. The mix made you, a pen, essentially. And, best of all, you stupidly killed the one person you loved, thinking it would make you happy. You can't be happy because you don't exist. You're not a person, not a queen, not a lover, not a mother. You're a tool."

Regina snarled and squeezed even more. "You forgot a killer."

He coughed, blood even dripped from his nose, but his eyes were so amused. "But, more the blunt instrument than anything else. Every move you've ever made was because Rumple engineered it that way. You're nothing and you never will be. No one cares, has ever cared. Why else did no one ever come to your rescue, Regina? No fairy godmother, no knight in shining armor, and no wish upon a star. All you ever got was Rumple, just as he planned."

Her life flashed before her eyes and she swore she could see Rumple's hand in everything, and if not his, her mother's. She had been used since birth. Worthless to everyone. Even the son she wanted to protect. When this was all over, he would return to his "real" parents, be with his "real" family, and she would be left alone. But, he would be safe and that was enough.

"Be that as it may, at least I'm not dead yet," Regina said and Pan gagged as she finally closed her fist around his heart.

"Regina!" Emma screamed her name like she had actually thought Regina would take the high road here.

Pan's eyes went wide and Regina reveled in watching the light go out. _If I had a glass of wine, I'd raise it in honor of this moment_. She discarded his body like the refuse it was, as the vines trapping Snow and Emma fell to the ground. Pan's body hit the dirt with a heavy thud before crumbling to ash to fertilize the dying Neverland. Regina curled her lip and looked beyond them.

"Let's get the hell out of here," Regina said.

"Regina," Emma said her name so softly now, like she was trying to provide comfort Regina did not need, want, or ask for.

Regina did not want to hear it. "Let's go save Henry, Miss Swan." She did not need the Sheriff's pity right now. She only needed her son, even if it would only be for a moment. At least he would live. She had done some good in the world, even if she was merely a tool.

-8-8-8-8-

Henry was safe and resting below deck with his heart where it was supposed to be and perfectly shielded from any other attack. Regina had set Pan's shadow — or whatever the hell it truly was — into the sail of Hook's ship to get them home without so much as a thank you from anyone on board. And now that she was of no use to anyone, no one looked Regina's way. She expected as much. She did not exist.

She found a corner of the flying tetanus shot Hook called a ship and observed, sitting on rotting crates. The researcher in her was fine with this, taking in the actions of the Lost Boys, the Charmings, and of course Rumpelstiltskin. Her stomach bubbled and her chest burned, making her feel like she might vomit acid. She blamed both on the high altitude and sting of the night, dying Neverland air.

Rumpelstiltskin stood with his son, Baelfire or Neal or whatever the hell his name was. They stood close, spoke low, civilized. Rumple even smiled without looking demented or like he might eat someone. They looked like they might make up, like life would be fine for them. Of course it would. Because life was always fine for everyone, everyone except her.

"Misery and woe have always been my only options," Regina muttered, shaking her head. It would never get better for her, only everyone else.

Just looking around confirmed this for her. The Lost Boys would be going to homes in Storybrooke, regardless of their roles in Pan's plan, while she would be lucky if her home was still standing. Who knew how long they had been gone, after all? Snow and her pretender prince were all cozy as usual. Emma would somehow become their perfect daughter, and magically be the perfect mother for Henry. It would all just work out, like magic. _It's doesn't matter_.

She needed to believe it did not matter. This ordeal with Henry, Pan, and Neverland, changed something within her and she did not mean the bullshit Pan spouted. As long as Henry was safe, she felt like she might be able to let go. And then her heart clenched in her chest to the point of pain. Okay, maybe not let go completely. _He's my son, even if he doesn't want to be_.

Henry was her son just like Henry was her father. Even if what Pan said was true, it did not matter. Blood did not matter. Prince Henry had raised her. She called him "Daddy." _And then you killed him_. All to be happy. Had that worked? _For a while_. Maybe.

She had only experienced happiness a couple of times in her life. Once on the lips of a darling stable boy and again in the giggle of a usually colicky baby. The latter hung in the air for several years before even that turned to ashes before her, just like the former.

Everything beyond pain and suffering only lasted a while for her. She looked down at her hands. Just underneath the skin, it felt like something wiggled inside of her, like there were maggots in her muscles.

Was it because of this… ichor? The darkness flowing inside of her. Was she a descendent of the ancient god Lilith? Fire formed in her hand, dancing across her fingertips. She never felt demigod power inside of her, never felt anything to suggest she had any sort of divine blood in her. But, now, it felt like something seeped out of her and slowly oozed through her system, crawled through her flesh.

"No, it's nothing." Shaking her hand, she put out the fire. On her fingers anyway. The burning in her chest worsened, the feeling of decay wiggling in her bones remained.

She had ignored the feeling while in Neverland. She took it to be anxiety about her son, worry over Henry. But, Henry was safe and her body felt… odd. Her heart was still troubled.

Maybe that was what this was about. Pan took a parting shot at her, trying to play her, ruin her for killing him. But, that did not mean it was a lie. Even if part of it was the truth, her body seemed to think it changed everything. _No, it changes nothing_.

Yet, she could not take her eyes off of Rumple and his son. The son who was worth everything. She should be able to understand. Was Henry not worth every wrong thing she had ever done in her life? Was Henry not worth every pain she had ever endured? Was Henry not worth every horrible move she had ever made as long as those moves led to him? Yes. Could she go to the lengths Rumple had, though?

Well, she would never abandon Henry in the first place as Pan said Rumple had done with Neal, or Baelfire. _Whatever the hell his name is_. Rumple apparently did not realize what he had until he let his boy slip through his fingers. But, would someone who waited centuries and purposely corrupted her do such a thing to his own child? She could not see this, could not understand it. _Or do you not want to see it?_

Rumple was the Dark One. He was a demon. Well, not really a demon, just evil and extremely powerful Fae. A terrible imp, but practically the Enchanted Forest equivalent of Satan. What did Rumple care about her? He had a goal and he had used her to accomplish that goal. She would have only been a tool for him, like Pan said.

"No, it's not true. It was just to rattle you. His swan song. His parting gift to the person who stole his paradise," Regina whispered to herself. Yet, her lungs still burned as if the air she breathed was made of acid and she felt a low hum buzzing through her entire system. Her muscles jumped and her stomach twisted. _You are not a god_. _You are not a tool_.

"Hey, you okay?" Emma flopped down next to her and the wood she landed on cried out, creaking loudly. It was a surprise the crate underneath her did not break.

With a sneer, Regina moved away from Emma just a little. What did Emma care if she was okay? What did Emma care if she lived or died? No one else ever did. Yet, this foolish woman had carried her out of a fire, had come back for her in the mine, had tried to assure her Henry was fine, and was now sitting here to check on her mental stability. Of course, this could have all boiled down to self-preservation. The trigger needed to be stopped for Storybrooke to survive and Emma seemed to like living in Storybrooke with her family and little friends. Emma obviously needed her to find and rescue Henry. Now, Emma probably assumed she was necessary to make it back to Storybrooke. After that, all bets were probably off.

"Fine," Regina replied in a clipped tone. "Shouldn't you be with your parents now? Celebrating the fact that you all somehow didn't die, despite the fact that there's hardly a brain cell between you." The Charmings had to have some kind of good luck in their blood, as that was the only way they could all still be alive. _Maybe they are of the gods_. It made more sense than her being some kind of demigod.

Emma frowned, like she was truly insulted. "I know you're stressed everything, but you don't have to be that way. I know Pan said some stuff to you that had to be upsetting, but Pan's a liar, you know that, right?"

Regina wanted to glare at Emma, but she refused to look at Emma. What if she locked eyes with Emma and Emma saw something new there? Something beyond her, just like she felt in her body right now. She refused to run that risk right now.

"I like to think I know more about Pan than you do. So, don't try to give me a pep talk. I know Pan's a liar and I know he just wanted inside my head." She suspected he had been stalling for something, but it did not matter. He did not get a chance to push his final play. This made it even more obvious that he just wanted to get in her head. But, was he in her head with the truth or was it a lie? Did it matter?

Huffing, Emma ran her hand through her hair. "Look, I'm just trying to help, be there for you."

With a scowl, Regina made sure to look off to the side, away from Emma. "Why? We're not friends. We're not close." Well, they were not friends. They were something, something that had enough power to move the moon, but it did not matter. When they got back to Storybrooke, Emma would take her son and settle down with Neal and have the happily ever after that had always been so elusive for Regina.

"Since when?" Emma demanded. It felt like her eyes were boring into Regina, daring her, challenging her.

Regina growled and turned, forgetting about not wanting Emma to be able to see if something was different in her. And, when Emma actually flinched as they locked eyes, Regina feared everything had been confirmed. Emma saw something in her, something frightening, something so disconcerting it made even Emma back down. Regina suddenly felt whatever it was, like an oil spill in her heart.

"When have we ever been friends? Your whole time in my life has been about stealing my son, the only thing that matters to me," Regina stated through gritted teeth, making a tight fist. It felt like she was trying to keep herself under control rather than threaten Emma.

Emma groaned and balled her hands into fists, too. "You know I never wanted to steal him."

Regina narrowed her gaze and felt like she was not careful, she could render Miss Swan into ashes without touching her heart. Emma swallowed, but her gaze did not waver. It was almost like Emma could feel whatever was inside of Regina, hear her thoughts, and decided to stand strong like always. It was entirely possible, which only pissed Regina off even more.

"And yet we all know what happens when we walk off this ship," Regina spat. She would never have her son again, possibly never seem him again. They both knew that.

"No, because everything isn't a story book with an ending already written. Pan's words were just to mess with you and whatever you're thinking about isn't true. You are letting him win by letting him in your head. We wouldn't be here if it wasn't for you. That means something," Emma insisted.

Regina turned away, eyes locked on Rumple. Her body tensed and she did her best to control tremors scratching at her bone marrow. She shivered like she was cold, but on the inside, it felt like everything was on fire. "No. Nothing means anything."

"Henry means something," Emma stated.

Regina nodded. This was true. Henry would always mean something, even when he was gone, even as he was gone. But, she… she would never mean anything to anyone. No, she was not nothing, like Pan insisted. Maybe she was a tool, but beyond that, she was hated, by the living, the dead, and apparently the cosmic. A universal joke. A universal punch line was not nothing.

-8-8-8-8-

Next time: Regina decides to do something about life being unfair.


	2. The Abyss

I don't own these characters.

2: The Abyss

Emma stared at Regina from a distance. She was worried about Regina. Just the look in her eyes had been more than enough to set Emma off, but there was much more to it. She looked as tense as ever, even though Henry was safe below deck with his heart right where it belonged. Instead of being happy, or at the very least relieved, Regina seemed ready to come out of her own skin.

She had noticed the strange, somewhat anxious energy when she had sat next to Regina earlier. It was nothing like she had ever felt and she thought it might be because of her. She had little desire to make Regina uncomfortable, not after everything they had been through together. So, she moved, going to another part of the ship, but she could not enjoy the smooth ride. Flying on the Jolly Roger was definitely better than sailing on it.

Sighing, she took her eyes from Regina, figuring it did not do her any good to worry over Regina. Things would probably be better when they were back home. Regina would see Henry was fine and come to understand Emma had no plans to steal the kid. They could work out some kind of custody arrangement or just work on this insane situation.

"Speaking of situation…" Her eyes drifted to Neal. He was still with Gold. It was hard to believe Gold was his father. How old was Neal then? Beyond that, did Neal know what Gold did to get back to him? Did he know the depths Gold slither to?

Part of her was envious of Neal. His father went through ridiculous (and evil) lengths to get back to him. Emma was not totally sure her own parents would do the same for her. After all, if it were not for Gold, David would have had to stay in Neverland and Mary Margaret would have stayed with him. They probably would have had a dozen replacement babies since Mary Margaret was so pissed she had not been there to raise Emma and they probably never would have thought of Emma again.

The pissy thing was that Mary Margaret was not upset over not raising Emma because of how horrible Emma's life had been. No, that did not factor into it. Mary Margaret was angry because _she_ had missed out on raising a child. Apparently, any baby would do now, as if Emma was on her own, not needing parents at all, which was beyond unbelievable. Not that Mary Margaret or David thought that.

"Well, if David doesn't think that, he doesn't seem to be open to sharing his opinion," Emma grumbled. Of course, she learned thanks to this trip, David probably did not share a lot of things. Not something she looked forward to dealing with, assuming they actually wanted to deal with her.

In the time since finding out David and Mary Margaret were her parents, Emma felt like she had not seen much on their part in the accepting those roles. Neither of them asked about her life before Storybrooke, not even her childhood. It was like they did not want to know anything about her, anything about what made her the Emma she was today. They just seemed to think it was destiny or serendipity or whatever else it could be.

"Like I don't really matter to them," she muttered. Looking at them, they seemed quite wrapped up in taking care of the Lost Boys. Mary Margaret was going back and forth between the boys, probably making sure they were comfortable. She had not checked on Emma since they boarded the ship.

She shook that away. Instead of criticizing her parents, she should take it to her own heart. She had not checked on Henry in a while either. The last time she went to see him, he was asleep. Getting up, she went to check on him again, but he was still out, somehow sleeping peacefully in the humid, dank Captain's quarters. The adventure was probably too much for the kid, even though he was used to insanity. She shook her head.

"I wanted better for you," Emma whispered as she took in Henry's still form, fixing his blanket for no reason other than to move. She wanted him to have a nice, normal life. Regina probably could have given him that, if only the Curse was not in play. _Stupid Curse_.

For a moment, Emma allowed herself just think of what the Curse had done. According to Pan, Gold had used it as an excuse to create a monster that was Regina and not in the way most people created monsters. He fathered Regina to be a monster. _Who the hell does that?_

Regina had used the Curse as an excuse to ruin many innocent lives. And, it had turned Emma's life upside down. What would have happened if only Gold had followed Neal into this world without magic so many years ago? _Would they have followed me?_ They had followed her to Neverland, but was it for her, Henry, or just this image of being a hero?

"Hey, he okay?" Neal asked, interrupting her thoughts, which was probably a good thing. He motioned to Henry's prone figure with his hand.

Emma nodded. "Yeah, he's fine. Thanks to Regina." She felt it was necessary to remind him Regina had done this. Neal had not said two words to Regina, acting like she did not exist, even though Regina was the mother of their child.

Neal leaned against the wall and shook his head a little. "I can't believe we have a kid."

Emma growled. " _We_ don't have a kid." Turning, she pushed by him, making sure to knock him with her shoulder. She did not get far in fleeing the scene.

"Emma!" Neal chased after her and laughed a little, sounding less uncomfortable than Emma felt. "Look, we gotta figure this out. I mean, he's our son."

Emma glared him down and hissed at him. "No, that's what you don't get. You forfeit any right to that kid when you walked away because of goddamn Pinocchio. He's not yours. So, stop saying that."

She could not believe the gall of this bastard. He thought he could just appear in Henry's life and claim him? The thought made her flinch and she glanced at Regina. _So, this is what it feels like_. She liked to think she was different from Neal since Henry sought her out, but Henry had not known about Neal to seek him out. _Because you lied to him, duh_.

"I don't have time for this," Emma said and she stormed away. The ship was big enough for her to avoid him for now. This brief encounter made her want to go apologize to Regina, but Regina did not want company at the moment.

Emma went to make herself busy, or at least appear busy. She wanted to ask Hook when they might land in Storybrooke, but now that all of this was over, she did not want to be near him. The stress of Neverland had caused her to act impulsively, reminding her too much of an Emma of ten years ago. This was not an Emma she was proud of, who distracted herself with the wrong men at stressful times.

Finding a dark corner of the ship was not hard, as they were still stuck in Neverland's eternal night. Emma tucked in tight and watched again. Her parents were in her sights again. She thought about them pushing her toward Neal and Hook. Thinking on it, she wondered if she would push Henry like that. She would want better for Henry than someone who abandoned him at a key point in his life and someone who betrayed Henry about a dozen times.

"Fucking fairy tales," Emma grumbled. Her eyes drifted to Regina. Maybe she should just watch Regina, make sure Regina did not do anything stupid as she seemed quite out of it. _Fucking Pan_.

Pan had definitely gotten to Regina, even if she wanted to act like it was nothing. Regina was brooding too much right now for Pan's words to have gone in one ear and out of the other. Hopefully, once they landed in Storybrooke, back into some sunlight and some actual nature sounds, things would seem brighter and livelier. _We're fucked if I'm trying to look on the bright side of things_. She sighed.

-8-8-8-8-

Crossing dimensional lines was odd. It was immediately noticeable when they were back in the world without magic. It went from night to day instantly. There was the sound of birds, gulls. The smell of the ocean was more salt and less sulfur. The warmth of the sun rained down on Regina, but did nothing for the itch just underneath her skin. Despair seemed to be tattooed to her soul, if such a thing even existed inside of her. After all, she was no better than one of Whale's damned experiments.

Getting off of the ship went close to how Regina imagined it. The ship was spotted in the air as they were coming in and by the time they landed, the town was lined up at the dock. The denizens of Storybrooke flocked to Snow just like her damned birds. Even Rumple was greeted by Belle. Warmth and love. What would his previous Belle think of him if she knew he abandoned his son down a portal to the gods only knew where and then obsessed over getting him back for centuries? It probably would not even register. After all, he kept Belle prisoner, tormented her while she was his captive, and she still loved him.

Belle would love Rumple, even if she heard he created a child and ruined that child to get back the son he abandoned. _No, he is not your father and you were —_ are _—_ _not ruined_. She refused to believe anything to the contrary. Just because Pan claimed something and her body suddenly felt like it might burst into flames — and not in a good way — did not mean anything. Nothing had changed. She was still herself. She was Regina. Not a tool, not a thing, not an object. She was Regina.

And then she caught sight of Henry. He had come up from the cabin during the journey and crowded around Emma and Neal. Even Hook had caught Henry's attention for a while, probably because Emma had been hanging around him for a brief moment, talking to the pirate about something that left him scowling.

Henry had also eaten away time on the ship by talking to Lost Boys. Everyone had gotten a piece of Henry, except her. He had not wandered near her, had not even glanced in her direction. Now, as they prepared to disembark, he huddled next to Emma. His mother. Regina's throat throbbed and burned like she had swallowed an eroding battery. She was not sure how she managed to walk off the damned ship.

Somehow, even the Lost Boys ranked a warm welcome, but no one looked Regina's way. The wind blew her hair, carrying the sweet sea air, as she marched off, a lone soldier with no army, no loyalty. She made her way back home, surprised to find it still standing. The brilliant mansion, her castle in this world, seemed to loom over her now. The itching just underneath her skin felt like clawing at her, like something was cutting through her everything.

Regina rushed inside, her body still shaking and she felt like she might throw up. She thought leaving Neverland and its poisonous magic would settle her own, but her body felt worse now. It was like something was trying to escape her very bones, trying to escape each nerve ending.

"Something is happening here," Regina muttered through gritted teeth. She was not sure what it was, but she needed to find out. Before that, though, she needed a shower and a change of clothing. Hopefully, it would settle her enough for her to be able to figure things out.

Under the spray of hot water, Regina tried to finally relax, but found it utterly impossible. Her trembling grew worse and it was almost impossible to properly shampoo her hair. She felt like she was having a full body seizure. She had no idea how she would apply her makeup.

After the shower, she thought she would feel a little more human, or at the very least, a little more like herself. Neither was true. Instead, she felt like she was about to come out of her skin, split into two, or cave in on herself. It was like being pulled apart and collapsed inside at the same time. She did not know how to make it stop.

It had been there in Neverland, even before Pan. While Emma had been feeling confused, out of sorts, like a poor little Lost Girl, she had felt this slight current dancing down her nerves. She ignored it, thinking it was nothing, just Neverland pushing at her magic or toying with her anxiety over finding Henry. Now, though, it had to be something. Maybe something serious.

"Could it be…?" She could not bring herself to say that Pan might have been right, but something was definitely up, as they say.

Time for research. Grabbing necessary items, Regina teleported to her vault. She needed to learn more about Neverland, about Pan, and even about the Dark One. While looking for books, she had to glance at her mother's belongings. Cora had come over with so much of her personal items, including journals, like she had planned to stay, planned to conquer, planned to rule. Regina swallowed as her throat sizzled while her mind ordered her to go read. Find out if Pan spoke the truth.

Approaching her mother's trunk, she could not help moving slowly, cautiously. She even paused to make sure she was alone. Part of her felt like her mother could see her, even in death, and would rise up to punish her for touching her things. _You are to mind your own affairs,_ _Regina_ , her mother used to hiss. The words were generally followed by intense pressure on her chest and the inability to move her arms. Only promises of being a good girl would set her free. Now, the intense searing sensation was caused by something else, something that might be hidden in this trunk. So, she opened it.

The smell of old parchment and her mother wafted into the air. One soothed her while the other made her skin crawl. Her heart rate jumped and she had to look over her shoulder before she continued. Apparently, she was still alone.

Reaching inside, she scanned for her mother's journals. As she touched the first one she came across, a buzzing sound echoed through the crypt and she jumped. An "I'm sorry, Mother!" was caught in her throat until she realized her phone had gone off.

"Mother's dead," she reminded herself. _You killed her_. The thought stung in a way Mother used to have the power to do. It was a way for Mother to torment her from beyond the grave, but maybe she deserved it. She had orphaned herself, after all.

Glancing at the phone, she shook the thought away and saw it was a text from Miss Swan. How Emma got her number, she could only guess and she would guess Henry, but it did not matter. What mattered at the moment was her mother's journal. Hopefully, it was an old one.

Flipping through the leather bound book, nothing caught her careful eye. Her phone buzzed again, alerting Miss Swan had texted her yet again. She disregarded the phone and the journal. Searching for yet another one, she was not disappointed. Before she started to read that one, she moved things around to see if there were a number of them. There were a half dozen. Her task was set before her.

-8-8-8-8-

"Is Mom coming?" Henry asked. He looked at Emma with such big, hopeful eyes. People hustled around them, preparing for a "welcome home" party at _Granny's_. They had all gone to get cleaned up and then regrouped at _Granny's_ for this party everyone agreed to throw. Emma was not in a party mood, but Henry wanted to go, so she would take him.

Emma had to look away, not wanting to deliver bad news to the kid after his crazy Neverland ordeal. She paced in front of Granny's diner, as the movement was a good excuse to not have to focus on Henry. He would not have it, though. He stepped right into her path. She almost ran over him.

"Hey, you want boot prints in your forehead?" Emma tried to joke.

Henry was having none of it, though. "Is she coming?" he repeated, staring hard at her.

"She didn't respond yet," Emma replied with a shrug. She tugged at her jacket for no reason.

Groaning, he rolled his eyes so hard, they might actually get lost in the back of his head. "Why not just call her?"

"Because she doesn't like talking to me." Emma thought that was obvious. Regina would definitely ignore any call she made. At least she could say her piece in a text message and maybe, just maybe, Regina would read them.

"Maybe we should just leave her be," Mary Margaret suggested, sitting at one of the tables in front of the diner. "There's so much to do and do we really want to bother Regina right now?" She glanced over at Neal, who sat next to her, but at another table. "There are other people who could use your attention."

Emma rolled her eyes. "I don't think letting her know Henry is all right and he wants her to come to the party celebrating this whole thing is really bothering her."

"Although she probably won't come to the party," Henry said.

"I can't see anyone wanting her there, lad," Hook had the nerve to remark. Emma could not figure out why he continued to hang around. She had already let him know kissing him had been a mistake and she did not have feelings for him.

Emma glared at him. "I doubt a bunch of people are dying to see you either and yet you won't leave." She tried to let him down gently on his ship, but she could already tell she might have to bludgeon him to get him to truly leave her alone. She was not interested in him or Neal, two different types of slimes. _I have to be more responsible_. She wanted to be viewed as a mother for Henry, so she had to act like it.

"Try again," Henry asked, cutting in before an argument sprang up.

Emma sighed and shot off another text message. For a moment, everyone was silent, as if waiting for the response. Eventually, the silence became too much.

"Look, maybe we shouldn't bother Regina," David said, sitting next to Mary Margaret and holding her hand.

"The only reason we made it back here is because of Regina and now we're just going to turn our backs on her? Screw that!" Emma declared and she walked away from the group, shooting off another text. Neal followed her as she marched down the block, not totally sure where she was headed.

"Emma, wait up," Neal called to her.

"No, I definitely don't want to deal with you," Emma informed him over her shoulder.

Emma was not in the mood for him or Hook or her parents. She just wanted to get in touch with Regina. Regina deserved to be at this stupid party. Plus, Henry wanted to see her. In all of the excitement, he had lost track of her and by the time he noticed, it was too late. She could see the guilt in his eyes every time he asked her to get in touch with Regina.

"We have to talk eventually. I mean, we have a kid," Neal said.

Turning, Emma glared at him and pointed at him, as if she wanted to call down the thunder on him. "No! Stop saying that! I already told you that you don't get to just show up in his life and declare you have a kid. You abandoned us! What don't you get about that? Why are you acting like that doesn't matter?" Why was her mother acting like that did not matter?

"This is our second chance," Neal said.

Emma was not sure how, but she resisted the urge to punch him in the face. _Maybe I really am a good person_. "What makes you think you get a second chance with me? What the hell makes you think I want to be with you? What the hell is wrong with you?"

"The kid…" Neal pointed behind them. "He wants to get to know me."

Emma growled, even though this was true. Henry was curious about Neal, his father. He had that right, she supposed. She had been curious about her own parents. The shine had worn off a bit as they continued to try to abandon her over and over again, but she had been curious. Hopefully, Henry would do the wise thing and realize how much his life would improve as soon as Neal was not in it. _I haven't done the wise thing_.

Deep in her heart, Emma knew she would not do the thing she wanted Henry to do. How could she expect an eleven year old to make a better decision than she would? She sighed.

"Look, maybe you'll be in Henry's life and even that's debatable, but that doesn't mean you're in my life. Now, leave me alone." She turned her attention back to her phone. She needed to talk to Regina. Maybe Regina would be able to make Neal go away, or somehow keep him away from Henry. _Oh, yeah, because she was so successful at keeping you away from Henry_.

-8-8-8-8-

The phone buzzed as if it was background music as Regina flipped through the journal she was certain she needed. Each buzz seemed to travel down her nerves along with that new disquieting sensation and nip at her cells. The phone actually ringing felt like lightning traveling down her spine. It was like something inside of her wanted her to answer Miss Swan.

"Fine," she snarled as she hit the answer button on her phone. "What?"

There was a pause, almost like shock. "There's a victory party happening at _Granny's_. Well, really, a welcome home party or something. You should come. Henry's been asking for you," the Sheriff explained.

Regina scoffed. Of course Miss Swan would come right out with the "Henry" card. Henry could hardly be bothered with her on the ship, now all of a sudden he was troubled over her absence? It was hard to imagine. He had been so infatuated with Neal on the ship and Emma and Hook and even the damned Lost Boys. Why should she matter?

And then she saw just what she needed to decide, no, she did not matter. Her mother had documented her relationship with Rumple in gross detail. No, he was more than her teacher. By her words, it seemed like the bloody, demented imp meant more to her mother than Prince Henry ever could. Disgusting.

Her mother also knew Rumple feared her for some reason. There was something Cora had not been able to calculate, but she knew it had to do with her magic, with her power. This was undoubtedly the thing that helped her think she fooled the Dark One.

And, oh, how her mother thought she fooled the Dark One. Hubris did not begin to cover it. Her mother boasted through several pages about how she had gotten the better of Rumple. And, while she did not straight out say how, it was clear her mother had slept with Rumple multiple times while also sleeping with Prince Henry.

Regina wanted to vomit now. Her body shook like she was having a seizure before she even made it to the section that confirmed it all. _The stupid imp walked off, vanished, over the contract, not even bothering to check, not even asking questions. His heart was his weakness. Love is weakness. He missed his chance_.

"He missed…" Regina retched right there, cringing as mostly sour liquid scorched her esophagus and splattered on the floor. Her mother's contract with Rumple was for their first born child; she wrote about it. Rumple had fallen in love with her and she possibly with him. But, Rumple had not bothered with the contract once it seemed like Cora used him, as he had a broken heart to nurse. Maybe Cora had fooled him or maybe he pretended to be hurt. Maybe Rumple had actually fooled Cora and used her, but that was neither here nor there. She was his child.

She was _his_ child and he had thrown her away for Neal. In fact, he possibly sought her mother out to have her, so he could go after his precious Neal. There was something about Cora that got his attention and he thought she was quite powerful. Maybe he needed her child to cast the Curse. Mother was powerful, so why should her offspring not be just as powerful? But, why not just use Mother herself?

Was Pan right? Had this all been planned out? Had Rumple targeted her mother, needed more than her mother for the Curse, needed more than just a descendant of Lilith? Created her and then proceeded to mold her into this thing he needed to cast the Curse? Had he distanced himself until a precise moment, so she could grow up loving her father, loving Prince Henry, only to tear his heart out for happiness that was forever out of her grasp?

"Daddy…" Regina whimpered and it felt like something erupted in her chest. Suddenly, she wanted revenge so badly, she could taste it on her tongue. It was sweet, like apples.

Throwing up her hands, she teleported to this "welcome home" party. If Henry and Emma were there, then it was safe to assume Neal was there. Hopefully, Rumple would be there as well. He would very quickly turn into her guest of honor.

She reappeared right outside of _Granny's_. Taking a moment, she peered inside through the window, wanting to see what was going on. The usual suspects were drinking it up, laughing, smiling, their lives going on as normal while her world had been tilted completely on its side and felt like it was going to implode and explode at the same time. How was this fair? How was it ever fair? It felt like there was steam escaping her veins and a beast tore at her belly.

And, then, there was sweet Henry, standing by Emma and looking at Neal as if he hung the moon. Meanwhile, she, who had moved the moon — yes, with Emma's help — and slaughtered a god for her son, was a footnote in his life now. With her son's admiration for simply existing, Neal stood close to Emma, as if she was some prize he won. Emma never went back for him, not in a fire, not in a mine, yet he could hold her close. How was this fair?

No, but she went back for him in the cave. _She went back for him and left you to find Henry_. He had mattered more to Emma even then, despite not being of any use to her.

"How is any of this fair?" Regina snarled as she stormed into the diner.

The music was happy, peppy even. The sea of people parted as Regina stomped in and the conversation dried up by the time she reached her destination. She almost pushed Henry out of the way and Emma barely opened up her mouth to say something before Regina shoved her hand into Neal's chest. The sound of his surprised gag echoed like a beautiful song in her ears and Emma jumped away from him.

"Regina?" Neal gasped. Oh, so he knew her name. Good. He could use it as he begged her to let him live.

"Regina!" Emma somewhat shrieked. She took a step closer to Regina, holding her hands up, as if she wanted to calm Regina down. It would not work.

"Mom!" Henry huffed and looked at her like she was the one in the wrong here.

"Why should you get everything?" Regina demanded, glaring up at Neal as she pushed him back.

His eyes went wide and he choked as his back hit the wall. The sheer sight of terror in his eyes made Regina shiver with pleasure. She could hardly imagine how good it would feel to crush his heart with Rumple right there.

Emma was on Regina before another word could be said, grabbing her shoulder, as if that would keep her from crushing this cur's heart. The rest of the party finally grasped what was going on and gaped like the twits they were. Emma and Charming at least pushed closer, but Regina did not care about them.

She wanted Rumple. She kept her attention on Neal, whose teeth began to chatter. At first she thought it was fear until she made out tiny clouds of his breath. Well, soon enough he would shiver with terror.

"What the hell is so special about you?" Regina snarled. It felt like every nerve in her body would pop before she got to do in this filthy bastard.

Neal coughed and shifted, as if to get comfortable with the hand in his chest. "I don't get what you mean."

"Regina, is this about that crap Pan said? I thought we agreed it was all just crap!" Emma pointed out.

"It's never crap!" Regina roared, closing her eyes and feeling the vein in her forehead rise. The vein throbbed, like it might burst soon. "It's always something! And it's always someone and it's never fair!" Her eyes shot open again and she was tempted to kill Neal with nothing more than look, regardless of Rumple's presence or not.

"I don't get it. What's not fair?" Neal croaked out with a trembling lip. His arm moved, as if he planned to lift it. She put a stop to that by squeezing just a little harder, pulling a wince from him wretched throat. His heart beat quickly in her fist and his breath came in short pants, breaking in frosty puffs before her.

"Nothing is fair," Regina snarled, pushing up into his face. Now, she could practically smell the fear coming off of him. The scent was heady, intoxicating even.

Neal was right to be afraid and everyone should know that. Not just because she was the Evil Queen, but because barely twenty-four hours ago, she had had a god in this same position. She was the one who walked away.

"Regina, if it's all true, it's not his fault. Killing him is not the solution," Emma said.

"Mom, please, don't kill my dad," Henry pled, putting his hand on her forearm. The one she had wrist-deep in Neal's chest.

 _My dad_. The words stabbed her in the chest like a serrated knife, sawing through every good part of her. Having done absolutely nothing, Neal, like Emma, got the love and admiration of her son. They got titles and kind looks. While she would crawl through broken glass for this boy and swallow hot stones for a kind word, all the while knowing, he would never give her simple affection of his free will. She got nothing. How was that fair?

"Regina, it's not his fault," Emma begged, her eyes glistening.

This insignificant bastard was even worth someone's begging. Who had ever begged for her? Her father. Prince Henry. He had begged her mother. And, she had repaid his pleading with taking his heart, just as she would do to this speck. Because, how was that fair? Life was unfair to her, so why she should be fair to anyone?

"It's everyone's fault!" Regina screamed to the point of giving herself a headache. It felt like her forehead might shatter. "Everyone! Why does everyone get everything they want? What do I get? Nothing! Ever. It's not fair."

"But, this isn't the solution," Emma insisted. Her breath was now visible as well.

"Mom, please," Henry implored her.

The more Regina heard their voices, the more it burned through her. It felt like her skin would come off, her muscles would melt away, and her bones would roam the town on their own. Each word from them just made her want to destroy this vulgar worm in front of her all the more. Why should he get their concern? Who was the last person to be concerned about her? _Henry… Emma…_ Regina cast those names from her head. Her father's concern had gotten him murdered and Emma would leave soon enough. After all, she had both the pirate and this asshole sniffing after her and apparently abandoning her did not change that, especially since they both came back.

"Regina, maybe if you could just tell me what this is about?" Neal groaned, squinting at her, like he was trying to figure her out.

"It's about you dying and maybe balancing out the universe a little," Regina answered.

"Regina," Snow said sharply.

Regina glanced at the corner of her eye, just wanting to assess the situation. Snow actually had her bow, armed with an arrow and all. She pointed at Regina with a steady arm despite the fact her teeth chattered. And just like that, they were enemies once again. Not that she planned to ever stop being enemies with Snow White. And, of course, Snow's little group advanced, showing they had her back.

"You would kill me to save him?" Regina laughed. "To save the man-boy who impregnated your under-aged daughter and left her to rot in prison?" Again, how was this fair? People loved Snow, despite her flaws, and they were ready to stand up for Neal, whom they had never met. Why? What had he ever done for them? He had not even be useful in Neverland!

"I would kill you because I owe you," Snow replied.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa. No one's killing anybody," Emma said, looking between her mother and Regina.

"Then can we get… Regina's hand out of… my chest?" Neal's breathing was shallow, basic short gasps. He was in pain and it felt so scrumptious. She could feast on this all day.

Somehow, his agony danced down her nerves and feed the beast in her belly. Regina started to understand how a boiling kettle felt before it whistled. Something — whatever had been ignited in her — wanted out, wanted to escape, and it was close. She did not know how to stop it, was not sure if she desired to stop it.

"Mom!" Henry cried again, giving her arm a little squeeze. This only made her boil more, even though Henry's hand felt cold on her.

"Where the hell is Gold? Is he here?" Regina demanded. She was semi-aware of what looked like onyx steam rising from her body, but it did not matter. Getting Rumple here, letting him see just what she thought of his precious son was the only thing she wanted at the moment.

"Regina, we're not going to let you kill Neal in front of Gold," Snow stated.

"There's no way for you to stop me. Do you plan to kill Henry's mother right in front of him?" Regina inquired.

"Emma is Henry's mother!" Snow replied.

 _Oh, yes_. _How soon you had forgotten_. Henry had birth parents now, which somehow negated her ten years with him, not just to his grandparents, but to Henry himself. Because, right, life was unfair. Apparently, it was fine to kill her in front of him, but not fine for her to destroy the man who walked away from him, who did not even know he existed about a week ago.

"Again, whoa! We're not killing any of Henry's parents in front of him," Emma said. So, even Emma thought this cad was worthy of being Henry's parent.

"I just need Rumple," Regina said through gritted teeth. That was all she wanted. This was all his doing, his fault. He ruined her for this ass. Well, she would teach him.

"That's not going to happen, Regina," Snow said.

What had to be a demented smile curled onto Regina's face. She could just feel the mania coursing through her. "Isn't it?" She gave Neal's heart a firm squeeze and he coughed out a groan. "Just like Pan. Like grandfather, like grandson, hmm?"

Neal's face was bright red at this point. "What?"

She smiled at him. "Grandfather, dear. Pan. Your grandfather."

His brow wrinkled and he squinted. "My huh?"

Oh, great. Neal had no idea. He was just as in the dark about matters as she was. He probably had no clue Rumple had sired her with the specific plan to turn her into a monster so he could search for his wonderful baby boy. Why punish him for the things she was pissed at Rumple for? Yes, she was pissed with him as well, but Rumple more so. She would let this moron carry his own sins and allow Rumple to pay for his own. No sense in turning this into a Greek tragedy, after all.

Breathing heavily, Regina felt like her head was about to be split apart. With a loud snarl, she pushed Neal off of her hand. The thud of his back on the drywall thumped hollow through her. Leaning against the wall for support, Neal coughed and sputtered. Emma and Henry fell to his side almost immediately and whatever boiled inside of Regina erupted.

"It's not fair!" Regina roared at the top of her lungs, balling her hands into such tight fists her blood dripped through her knuckles onto the floor. The black cloud speckled with gold hissing off of her exploded outward, moving like a burst of dark energy.

The diner shook like it was about to come apart and everyone was thrown back. Regina blinked, unsure of where this burst of power came from or what the power even was. Was it her magic? If so, why was it onyx and not her usual violet? Her breath hitched in her lungs as she watched Henry slide across a table and crash into the wall. Her heart stopped and it felt like a million pins stabbed it at once.

"Henry!" Regina fell to his side, knees banging against the cold linoleum floor.

"Mom…" he groaned, eyes partially closed with blood pouring down his forehead. His face was practically white as a sheet of paper and his lips were blue.

"I'm here. I'm so sorry." _What the hell was that? What the hell just happened?_ "I've got you, my little prince." She gently patted him down, searching for any injuries and noting blood drenching his shirt. She healed him and cleaned him up as soon as she assessed his injuries.

"Mom…" he groaned again.

Regina hugged him close and caressed his cheek. "Don't move, sweetheart," she implored him in a hushed tone. "I'm right here."

"Please, don't… don't kill my dad," he muttered.

 _Kill his dad?_ And just like that, Regina felt that flare inside of her again. Her body was surrounded by a darker black cloud and she felt like she might explode again at any moment. Everyone was so concerned for damn Neal. It was not fair.

"Miss Swan," Regina said sharply, trying her best to keep it together. It felt like she might fly apart if she did not consciously keep all of her cells attached and she knew instinctively if she went, this whole block would go with her.

"Yeah?" Emma rubbed the top of her head as she climbed to her feet. Blood dripped from her nose, flowing over a purple mouth.

"Take care of our son," Regina ordered and then she vanished. She needed to get out of here before she permanently injured Henry, or worse.

-8-8-8-8-

Next time: Emma tries to help Regina.


	3. Burner

I don't own these characters.

3: Burner

"What the hell just happened?" Neal asked as he rubbed the center of his chest. Apparently, his heart hurt more than his head, even though his head leaked blood like a broken faucet.

"Regina just happened," Mary Margaret groaned, clutching her abdomen. David helped her to her feet. She fell against him before righting herself and scanning the diner, making sure everyone was all right.

"Can't trust that crazy bitch with nothing," Leroy complained while Ruby helped get him from out underneath debris, some of which was frozen together.

Emma was not sure if Regina had made the temperature drop to freezing levels on purpose for a few seconds, as she was more a fire person, but thankfully the place was quickly warming back up now that she was gone. It was a good thing, too, since almost everyone's lips were blue. Several people were shivering as well as bleeding.

"She'll be getting a bill for this, though," Granny groaned, standing up from behind the counter. She dusted herself off and then went to help dig out other party guests. She was one tough old gal, walking off the diner exploding on them and all.

Emma shook her head, hoping to rid herself of a dizzy sensation. She ignored the pain in her side. She had worse. The only thing that mattered right now was the kid. Her vision was a little hazy, but she scanned the destruction for some sign of Henry.

She stumbled over to Henry, who leaned up against the wall, still sitting. He looked like he was in a daze, eyes glassy and staring into nothing. Whether it was from a concussion or confusion from his mother magic-bombing the diner or both, Emma had yet to figure out.

"You okay, kid?" Emma mussed his hair, hoping to get his attention. Hopefully, he did not have a serious head injury that her actions could make worse. He still felt a little cold, so she shrugged off her jacket and wrapped him in it, even though it was torn.

Henry looked up at her and, for a moment, she worried he did not know who she was. Regina would flip if she knew she hurt him this much. Then, Henry blinked and seemed to come back to himself.

"What just happened, Emma? Why did Mom attack us? Why did she try to kill Dad?" Henry begged, putting his palm against the wall. He tried to stand up, but his face went pale and he groaned. It looked like he might throw up.

"Careful there, kid." Emma helped him up and he pressed himself against her side. He leaned into her for support and she rubbed his shoulder, still trying to warm him up.

"Why did Mom attack us? I thought she was a good guy now!" Henry huffed, but tears shimmered in his eyes.

How did she explain to Henry that this had nothing to do with good guys and bad guys? Not that she was sure it ever did. It had to do with choices, the right ones and the wrong ones. It seemed like with Regina, someone had been making wrong choices with her since conception. How was she supposed to make right choices if her life had been built on everything wrong?

"Henry, your mom… she's just in pain," Emma said, as if that made any sense. Hell, maybe Regina had always been in pain and just tried to cover it up with her chaotic anger. She understood that all too well.

"No, we're in pain. Regina's insane!" Neal growled and then he wobbled. He leaned back against the wall for support before he fell over. Pieces of the ceiling clattered to the ground around him.

"She's not insane!" Emma barked. How dare he talk about Regina like that in front of the kid? How dare he talk about Regina like that after she saved their asses in Neverland? Like Regina had not given everything for Henry?

"Then what the hell was this all about? I haven't even said two words to her and she's trying to tear my heart out?" Neal scowled as he leaned forward, like he planned to go somewhere. The Earth was not steady under his feet, though, so he just fell back against the wall. More bits of the ceiling rained down around him, sticking to his hair and shoulders.

"It's not about you, really," Mary Margaret said. She coughed and pressed herself closer to David. Her lip was busted, blood oozing out to the floor. David had gash on his cheek, which he seemed quite all right with ignoring.

"Then what the hell is it about?" Neal demanded, hand pressed to his heart. Maybe he wanted to make sure it was still there.

Emma turned to her mother, glaring at her, hoping to keep her from crossing the line. Snow did not seem to understand the look, though. She kept on talking.

"Rumple. Pan. Family," Mary Margaret answered.

"Mary Margaret," Emma hissed. Who just told someone's intimate business? This was news Regina had only just gotten and Pan probably should not have told her, especially in front of them. Who was Mary Margaret to tell the world?

"I get that she's not a fan of my old man, but Pan and her family don't have anything to do with me," Neal declared.

"That's where you're wrong," Mary Margaret said.

"Mom!" Emma shouted, taking a step toward her mother. She needed to get Mary Margaret's attention before she said something that was none of her business. If Regina wanted her dead before, God only knew what Regina would want to do to Mary Margaret if she told this secret, especially in front of a diner full of people.

"What are you talking about?" Neal inquired.

"Yes, what are you talking about?" Tinker Bell asked. She came out of this whole thing unscathed, which was not surprising. She made her way over to Mary Margaret, possibly about to get into her face. Tinker Bell seemed pretty protective of Regina.

Before Mary Margaret could open her mouth and blab even more, Gold limped into the diner. He looked around, as if to assess the damage. In the end, he barely shrugged at the fact that the diner was rubble. How the roof was still on the place was a mystery.

"You folks really know how to throw a party," Gold remarked with a stupid smirk, like he knew just what happened.

Emma wondered what possessed Gold to show up. Had someone gone to fetch him, let him know Regina had her hand in Neal's chest? They were probably all lucky he had gone home to be with Belle after getting off of the Jolly Roger and had only just shown up here, despite his invitation to this shindig. Regina probably would have killed Neal in front of Gold had he been at the party. Or would she? Would Regina really kill Neal in front of Henry?

"Bae," Gold sighed with a smile as his eyes fell on Neal. He opened his arms, as if going in for a hug.

Neal pressed himself against the wall, seemingly to escape. If he was not careful, he might actually fall through the wall, especially considering the hole in it not even five feet away from him. Gold ended up just clapping him on the shoulder. Neal groaned in pain.

"So, what happened here?" Gold asked as he looked around again, taking things in a bit more. His face drew into a frown for a moment, like something smelled rotten. Emma felt like there was a rancid… something in the air, but she could not figure out what it was.

"Regina happened here," Emma replied. She wanted to confront him about what he had done to Regina, but now was not the time or place. Besides, it was not technically her business. Unfortunately, it did not seem like Regina would handle it well and it seemed like the start of another rocky, crappy adventure for them all. _I'm so tired of adventures. I just want to get to know my family, get my parents to better understand me, and figure out where the hell I fit in all of this insanity_.

"Yeah, what the hell does Pan have to do with you, Regina, and me?" Neal demanded. Taking a deep breath, he managed to stand up. He winced while doing so, but remained on his feet.

Gold flinched quickly, but then schooled his features back into the usual demented composure. "I'm not sure I know what you're talking about."

Emma could not believe her ears. "Really?" _What a fucking liar!_

Neal pressed on like Emma did not even say anything. "Don't lie, Papa. Don't fall back into old habits so easy." This sounded like a threat, like if Gold fell back into old habits, then Neal could do the same.

Emma was not too sure what happened between Neal and Gold, beyond the fact that Gold abandoned Neal down a portal. In that time, Neal had been tormented in Neverland from what she gathered and then somehow ended up in the car she stole. According to Pan, Gold had plotted how to get Neal back for centuries, even though Neal did not seem to want to come back. And then, it was all forgiven on the Jolly Roger from what she could tell. Maybe almost dying did that to people. Not her, but Neal apparently. Gold did not seem too changed by their misadventure, though.

Gold stood still for a while. "I have no idea what Pan might have told our favorite Evil Queen. I'm not Pan's keeper, after all."

"No, but he was your father," Mary Margaret blurted out.

Emma groaned. _Goddamn it_. Her mother seriously could not keep a secret, possibly did not know what the word meant. Henry gasped, shocked to hear he was related to the lunatic who tried to murder him and steal his heart.

Neal blinked and licked his lips before moving his mouth, but no sound came out. It took him a few seconds to find his voice. "Pan's your…?" He shook his head. "Peter Pan was your father?" he echoed in disbelief.

"In the loosest sense of the word, yes," Gold admitted.

"Do you know what the hell that bastard did to me?" Neal roared. He threw his hand out, despite the fact that the movement had to hurt. He did not even flinch.

"I tried to protect you from him. He had gone after you so many times, but I never imagined he could reach you in this world without magic," Gold replied.

Neal sucked his teeth. "You tried to protect me from Pan?" Skepticism oozed off the question.

Gold looked at Neal with pleading eyes, seeming close to a concerned parent. "Of course I did. I knew what he was like when he got those powers. I had no idea why he was interested in you and I didn't want to find out."

"But, what does that have to do with Regina? Why did Regina come in here trying to kill me? What does it have to do with you and Pan? What the hell is going on?" Neal demanded.

Mary Margaret, who had been watching Gold and Neal like a tennis match, opened her mouth. Emma spoke up before her mother spilled the beans, as it was glaringly obvious the woman could not stay out of anything. "It's nothing you want to talk about here," Emma said. In private, yeah, him and Gold could talk about it all day. "Regina's just confused and stressed out. I'll go talk to her and work this all out. She won't try to kill you again." Not that she believed Regina could try it again anyway.

"Confused over what, though?" Neal inquired, eyes locked on his father. He might not let this go. Maybe this was something that could be unforgivable and Emma could understand that. "What was she talking about Pan not telling me or the Dark One not telling me?" He stared at Gold with a challenging gaze. No, he might actually pressure Gold into telling him the truth about this.

"I don't know what you're talking about. I wasn't here," Gold replied coolly, leaning forward on his cane.

"Which is probably what saved Neal's life," Emma muttered. Regina had it out for Gold and he might want to watch his back.

Gold arched an eyebrow. "She tried to kill Bae and she wanted to do it in front of me?"

"Why?" Neal demanded with a harsh glare. He was not about to let Gold take this off in another direction with his solution being to kill Regina.

Gold turned to Emma. "What did Pan tell her?"

"It's not my place to say," Emma answered, staring him down, so he knew he could not intimidate her. "All I can say for sure is that she seems to believe it." Gold turned, as if it he was about to ask Mary Margaret, but Neal opened his mouth first.

"Believe what?" Neal growled, stomping his foot. He was lucky he did not slip on any fallen items. "What did you do to her, Papa?"

"You're going to defend some woman who just tried to kill you? You believe I did something to her?" Gold's face pulled back into a thin-lipped grimace, bearing his teeth.

"Because didn't you?" Neal said, getting in Gold's face. He stared down his father like he solely could make Gold break, and maybe he was the only one.

For a moment, Emma almost thought Neal knew. But, then she realized, he was just used to Gold making dick moves. Like father, like son, she supposed. Oh, three generations over. She glanced at Henry, at her side and watching, trying to figure out what was going on. Okay, hopefully Regina nurtured that trait out of him. If not, they could tag-team it now to make sure Henry did not grow up to be a jerk.

"You don't know what happened," Gold replied in a hiss.

"No, I don't know what happened because I was trapped in Neverland for the gods' know how long after thinking you'd follow me through a portal to give up all of this magic crap!" Neal snarled, throwing up his hands right in Gold's face.

Gold grimaced and stepped back. "And I did everything possible to find you."

"Oh, yeah, everything possible." Neal rolled his eyes. "It took you three hundred years to get here from my understanding of things. Lots of things happen in between that time and you think I don't know what Dark Ones get up to in their spare time? I've done more than enough research to know you didn't sit around twiddling your thumbs waiting for something to happen."

Breathing through his nose, Gold seemed to be trying to control himself. "Again, I did everything possible to find you. I regretted letting you go the moment you fell into that portal and I've spent my life trying to get back to you. Isn't that enough?"

Neal looked around the room. "You did something to make Regina want to kill me in front of you. You did something that made her go out in a blaze of glory. You did something to her to make this place look like this."

With a snort, Gold brushed this all off with a wave of his hand. "We all know Regina's unstable. You don't get the title Evil Queen because you're balanced and fair."

"Hey, I don't think you get the title of Dark One because you're always honest," Emma barked before she could stop herself. It was one thing to lie to Neal's face, but it was another thing to lie to everyone and just make Regina out to be out of her flipping mind. Of course, the crazed look in Regina's eyes had probably done that on its own.

Gold glanced at her from the corner of his eye. "Ever the white knight, eh?"

"I know you did something, Rumple," Neal hissed. "There's no way someone looks like she did, is as angry as she was, over nothing."

"Yeah, you know you did something," Emma added in, just so Gold knew he could not make Neal look like he was being crazy.

Gold's nostrils flared. "Let's not discuss this here, Bae. I'll tell you all about it if you come back to my shop." He motioned to the door.

Neal narrowed his gaze and Emma could tell the wheels in his head were turning. Neal would get to this bottom of this on his own. He seemed very intent on the truth, so he probably would not let Gold lie his way out of this. She should worry about Regina and this major blow up.

"Fine," Neal agreed. Gold waved him out of the diner. They exited quietly, Neal the only one looking at people as he passed.

"I'm going to go find Regina and get to the bottom of this," Emma announced, hoping her parents took the hint to watch Henry.

"I'm coming," Henry declared.

"No. Right now, I think it's best if you steer clear of Regina. She seems a little out of sorts." _Putting it mildly_.

"My mom's not gonna hurt me, Emma," he actually chided her as if he had not been bleeding from a wound caused by the aforementioned mother not too long ago. Of course, Regina had enough mindset to heal him, so he was not too far off.

"Not on purpose, kid, but I think there's something going on that's thrown her off balance. So, just stay here with your grandparents while I go look. You can help fix up the diner. As soon as I find her and talk to her, I'll get her back to you, okay?"

Henry understood this was a promise. With a smile, he nodded. Before she could get to the door, Tinker Bell stepped in her path.

"Is there anything I can do to help?" Tinker Bell asked.

"For now, you can help clean this up. I'm hoping I can head Regina off before this gets worse and we need all the help we can get," Emma replied. Tinker Bell nodded and moved out of her way. She was off with the hope of keeping this thing contained.

-8-8-8-8-

Regina paced the crypt, twitching with each clack of her heels on the stone floor. She felt like if she stopped moving, her body would fly apart. The tremors continued racing through her, even as she tried to hug herself to keep herself together. Her muscles twitched, body jumping beyond her control.

A thump, almost like a heavy clomp, sound joined her shoes against the stone floor. She had been found. Maybe the town had finally come to destroy her. With a fireball in hand, she turned to greet her fate.

"Regina?" Miss Swan called.

Regina sighed. "I should've known." She put out the fireball. "Miss Swan, didn't I charge you with looking after Henry?"

The sheriff rounded the corner and came into view. "Yeah, you did. I left him with his grandparents. He wanted to make sure you were all right and it's not like I could trust anyone else to check on you."

Regina sighed and leaned against her father's tomb as Miss Swan approached. The sheriff had a box and plastic bag in hand. It appeared she brought donuts for some reason.

"What can I do for you, Sheriff?" Regina asked, folding her arms across her chest. She put on her best bothered expression, which was a feat considering her face twitched every now and then.

"I figured you could use a friend. I brought booze." She held up the plastic bag and the sound of bottles clinking together echoed through the room.

Regina curled her lip in disgust. "I don't drink _booze_."

Miss Swan scoffed and rolled her eyes. "Okay, fine. I have alcohol. Nothing too heavy. I also have donuts. I figured any other sweet thing I brought, you could make and you probably make it better than the store."

Regina was not moved. "I can make donuts as well." She could make most things. The first eighteen years in Storybrooke had been extremely boring and she liked learning new things. She had learned to get creative with cooking when Henry was a toddler, turning food into fun shapes and animals.

"Of course you can," Miss Swan muttered. Snorting, she shook her head, as if she could not grasp someone being able to make donuts.

Regina narrowed her gaze on the sheriff. "Why are you here?"

"I'm checking on you. Are you all right?" Miss Swan just blurted out, looking her right in the face. She gave Regina those damn puppy eyes.

Regina sighed again and rubbed her elbows, wishing it did not feel like there were maggots just under her skin. "He was telling the truth," she whispered.

Miss Swan blinked owlishly. "He who?"

"Pan," she growled the name. "You didn't call him on it. I know your 'superpower' has its faults, but you didn't even bother. He was telling the truth." Miss Swan had been suspiciously quiet when Pan spoke, just shouting at her to keep her from killing the bastard. The screams had not been enough, but what she had not said spoke volumes above the yelling.

A slender hand went through blond curls and she gave an awkward shrug. "I said he was probably lying."

Regina scowled. "But, not that he _was_ lying. He spoke the truth. My mother's journals backed him up. I was just this thing created to get that useless lump of mumbling nonsense back." She snarled as she turned away, slapping against her father's tomb. Her body refused to stop shaking and she growled in annoyance at not being in control anymore. And this damned black mist would not go away.

With an arched eyebrow, Miss Swan studied her. "You okay?"

Regina gritted her teeth and took a deep breath. It did nothing to soothe her. "Fine."

Miss Swan scoffed. "No, you're not. Were you like that in Neverland? Shit, how did I miss that?"

Regina just shook her head. Neverland had affected them all, but she had ignored it as best she could. She just wanted her son back. Nothing else mattered. But, it had been there, under her skin, just barely breathing.

"You're not very observant," Regina snapped and did her best glare with the hope it would get the sheriff to leave. Of course, it did not work.

Miss Swan shrugged again and motioned to her with a tilt of her chin. "No, you didn't have all of the black smoke coming off of you to make it obvious."

Regina scowled and looked down at herself. Yes, the obsidian mist surrounded her like an aura. She was not sure what to make of it. She would research it, possibly after she killed Rumple. She just needed to figure out how to properly make him pay before she tore his heart out and crushed it in her bare hands. Part of her contemplated actually eating his heart, but she was not sure what the consequences were of eating the heart of the Dark One.

Miss Swan sighed and shook her head. "I should've noticed, though. I was too busy being caught up in my own crap, but you've been in pain."

"I'm not in pain, Miss Swan." Oddly enough, the worse thing about this was just not being in control of her body. Nothing hurt, per se. She felt strange, like this was no longer her, but there was nothing painful about it.

The sheriff gave her a deadpan look. "You tried to kill Neal in front of Gold."

"To teach him a lesson and to have justice. Why should this Neal person get everything and I get nothing? What has he done to earn anything? What made him worth going after and ruining me in the process? What?" Regina demanded with a snarl. How the hell could she lose to such a crass simpleton? The ebony smoke around her flickered like a flame.

"It's not his fault. Besides, he didn't get everything. He got abandoned down a portal to hear him tell it. Pan even said so."

Regina sneered, like that was so horrible. "Yes, and then his devoted father searched high and low for three hundred years to reunite with him. He went so far as to find one of the few descendants of Lilith still alive and let her think she used him when he had in fact used her because he needed her offspring to cast his Curse to find his damned son."

"But, this is Gold we're talking about. He's an asshole. Did you really want to be raised by Gold?" Miss Swan had the nerve to ask.

Regina snarled, wanting to claw her own face off thanks to that asinine question. "It's not about being raised by Gold! Are you so stupid to honestly think that's the problem here?" She had a father and she loved him, loved him to death.

Miss Swan blinked again. "Uh… no." This fool did not get it. How could she not get it? But, then again, Miss Swan had Charming genes and seemed to be obtuse on a good day.

Regina balled her hands into tight fists. "It's about him intentionally creating me to turn me into some monster to chase after someone he abandoned in the first place. Do you even realize how much worse I could've been? I'm sure he wanted it. It could have been so. I could have been… I could be…" She sucked her teeth as the beast inside of her howled, hinting to what could have been.

There was no use explaining this to the sheriff. Miss Swan would never get it. Knowing now that she had the blood of Lilith flowing through her mixed with the swill coursing through the Dark One, Regina imagined what she would have done as the Evil Queen if she knew, if she had ever felt even a touch of that type of power, if this thing inside of her wanted out back then. The possibilities frightened even her, causing a knot in her stomach.

"But, you're not and you didn't do anything worse. Don't dwell on what ifs. Okay, Gold was your sperm donor, but you had a good dad, right?" Miss Swan stepped toward her, gazing at her with a pleading expression.

Regina snarled and the building actually shook. "That's not what this is about at all! You have no idea what my life has been like and then to find out that I was nothing more than tool for that bastard to get back his bastard? Do you have any idea what that's like?" she roared.

Miss Swan sighed and eased herself down onto the floor, resting her back against the cold wall of the crypt. Putting her items down, she rubbed her arms for a moment, as if she was cold, which she probably was in just a white tank top. Where was her ridiculous jacket? Regina recalled she had it on in the diner.

Miss Swan did not mention anything about a chill in the air. Going onto her plastic bag, she pulled out a bottle and twisted the cap off. She took a sip of her drink and opened the box of donuts.

"You want?" Miss Swan offered.

Regina's lip curled. "Hard lemonade, really? That was the best you could do?"

"Well, I didn't think you'd like any of the hard ciders since you make your own." She took a healthy swig of the lemonade. "But, yeah, to answer your question, I do have an idea what that's like. I was apparently shoved in a wardrobe and sent to another world all alone with the burden of having to save an entire goddamn world when I turned twenty-eight. So, there you go." She tilted the bottleneck to Regina.

"So, I should just suck it up?" Regina resisted the urge to strangle Miss Swan from across the room.

There was a scoff. "Not what I'm saying at all. I just get why you're pissed. You have a right to be pissed. Who the fuck creates a kid to purposely mess up, so they can go after another kid? That type of shit doesn't make any sense."

Regina shook her head. It made perfect sense to her. Rumple needed her to get his beloved son back, just like Mother needed her to climb the social ladder to make sure she never had to kneel before anyone ever again. It was a match made in Hell, apparently. And to show how truly sick they both were, despite probably actually loving each other as Mother's journals hinted at, they got off on playing each other and tormenting the little monster they created together.

"But, it doesn't matter. You're here and you're you," Miss Swan said.

The words were so simple and Regina wanted to latch onto them, but it was hard to do considering who they came from. "You're here and you're you, yet in Neverland you still felt like a Lost Girl, like your parents had done you wrong even now."

Miss Swan scowled and looked away for the first time. So, there was something there. "I am me and I'll always be me. I just don't think it's me they want. I don't know how to be anybody else, though."

"Your parents are fools." And Regina meant that beyond her general hatred for the "heroes." If she could have any part of Henry right now, she would take it without question and die happy. They had Emma right there and apparently made her feel like she was not good enough and Emma could not figure how to be good enough while remaining true to herself. It was nice to know she still wanted to be true to herself. Regina had no idea what that even meant.

"And Gold's asshole," Miss Swan countered.

Regina shook her head. "I already allowed him to use me as he would. He had my birth planned out. He picked out my mother, probably knew what type of woman she was, and left me to her anyway, probably to help lay the foundation he would later need to turn me into… into a _thing_. I want to tear him apart!" The black cloud around her thickened.

There was a nod and the sheriff took another drink. "I don't fault you on that, but are you willing to murder Henry's grandfather?"

Regina snarled and stomped her foot. The ground shook again. "You say that as if Neal is actually a parent! He just shows up and gets Henry's love and respect while I get nothing? How is that fair? How is any of this fair? Why do I never get anything?"

Sighing, Emma just gave her big eyes again. "I know that feeling, too."

"How do you get it to go away?" Regina was certain it would eat her alive because, no, she could not kill Neal. He got everything, including Henry's love. She could never hurt her son by taking away his latest toy.

"It doesn't," was the whispered answer.

Letting out a long, almost wheezing breath, Regina fell to the floor, sitting opposite Miss Swan. Miss Swan rolled a bottle to her. She opened it, but refused to drink. Lemonade was not supposed to be alcoholic as far as she was concerned.

"Neal confronted Gold about you," Miss Swan said.

Sucking her teeth, Regina rolled her eyes. "And what did Gold have to say?"

"Nothing. He pulled Neal away to talk in private. He's most assuredly lying his ass off about this. He doesn't want to lose his son again."

 _But, throwing away a daughter had been so easy, perfectly acceptable even_. Regina quickly shook that thought away. She was not his daughter. Prince Henry was her father. Glancing behind her, she reached up and caressed the tomb of the only person to truly love her. _And, what did you do to him?_

"Yes, because Neal is so amazing." Regina rolled her eyes.

"Maybe just not think about him anymore. Focus on fixing yourself. I mean, one, you look like a train engine. You're never getting inside anywhere ever again with the way you're smoking," Miss Swan remarked with a smirk.

In spite of herself, Regina laughed. "Are you quite done?"

"I got one more. You were hot before, now, you are smoking!"

"You're such a child." In fact, Miss Swan was like a teenage boy in many ways.

Miss Swan only smiled and slid the box of donuts over to Regina. Regina groaned and picked up one of the glazed donuts. As she reached for one, she realized her body had finally stopped shaking.

-8-8-8-8-

Next time: Regina adds someone else to her hit list.


	4. The Road to Hell

I don't own these characters.

4: The Road to Hell

It took finishing all of the hard lemonades and several donuts — all of those consumed by the sheriff — to convince Sheriff Swan to return to Henry and to leave Regina to research her… condition. The onyx aura wafting from her had yet to vanish. It was not like it had been at _Granny's_ , but it was not going away either. The sheriff had also let her know that the temperature dropped around her, so that was something else. She needed to know what this was about, why and how it was affecting her, and affecting her magic.

"You sure you'll be all right?" Emma asked, brushing her hands off on her pants to get rid of donut crumbs.

"Yes. You keeping me from finding out what this is isn't going to help," Regina replied, motioning around her. "And you do know one of the reasons they make napkins is to clean your hands, yes?"

Emma chuckled. "I know. I know. I'm just used to doing it this way."

Regina shook her head and managed to bite her tongue from making a comment on how Emma was raised, considering the fact that she was not. "Try not to get our son into that habit."

"If you must know, when we used to have lunch and stuff together, he'd scold me just as well as you for not using the napkin."

This made Regina smile. "Good to know some of the manners I tried to instill in him remain. Now, you should get back to him. Assure him I will not try to kill Neal again."

"He knows something's up, you know? He knows you didn't go after Neal just to be… evil or something."

Regina wanted to sigh in relief, but this did not bring her much relief. Her son was still hung up on Neal despite the fact that he did not do anything beyond abandon Henry and Emma. At least Emma tried. But, then again, maybe Emma just wanted her to not destroy Neal because he completed their happy, little conventional family, the thing she had never been able to give Henry.

"Miss Swan," Regina said as the sheriff gathered her mess, ready to leave. She was about to cut into Emma for trying to use Henry to save Neal, but found she could not when those earnest hazel eyes looked up at her.

Emma actually looked hopeful. "Yeah?"

Regina swallowed down bitter vitriol. "Your parents… just remember they have to adjust as well. They're used to acting with only them in mind. They have to adjust to the idea of having you now."

Emma did not look particularly sold on this, undoubtedly drawing from her own feelings about Henry. Unfortunately, this was the best Regina could offer the troubled hero. Snow and her so-called prince needed to handle whatever it was they put Emma through.

Twisting her mouth up a little, Emma rubbed the back of her neck. "Thanks."

Regina shrugged and then Emma was gone. She was alone, to research as she wanted. As soon as she could no longer hear Emma's footfalls, it felt like the maggots were back under her skin, wiggling, creeping, feeding on her.

Research might help calm her down, along with helping her figure out what was going on. So, she set about her books. She needed to know more about Lilith, Pan, the history of the Dark One, the history of Neverland and so many other things. She wanted control over her body again.

So, after grabbing a stack of books, she made herself comfortable in a chair that creaked under her and began reading. For a moment, she inhaled, taking in the scent of her old books. It seemed like peace. Back when she was younger, one of the few ways to escape her mother was through reading, not just going to another world, but often her mother would leave her be if she was engaged with the right book.

For the first time in what felt like forever, her body ceased vibrating with unknown energy. Even while she had sat with Emma, though the trembling had ceased, there was still something else scratching just underneath the whole time. Whatever this was inside of her, it seemed Neverland dragged it to the surface, kicking and screaming. Neverland had that power, though. Its magical nature, its existence depending upon pure magic, could draw out any tiny piece of magic in someone.

Unfortunately, Neverland pulling out magic from people could make them off balance, as it had done to Miss Swan. The sheriff had been unable to conceal her anxiety, but Regina had actually fought hers down for the most part and attributed it to Henry being missing. It never occurred to her the feeling could be anything but worry over Henry. But, Neverland had pulled at magic inside of her that she had never felt before, magic she had no clue was there. She could practically taste it — sweet, tempting, demanding — and now it was on the tip of her tongue.

So, being in Neverland had probably woken up whatever this magic was inside of her, or at the very least dug it out of whatever dark pit it hid in. Now, she needed to better understand what this magic was. Did it exist because she supposedly had a god's blood in her veins or was it because the Dark One had sired her? Was it a mix of the two? Had such a thing happened before? What type of magic was it, especially if it was a mix?

Moving on, she looked into her histories on the Dark One. Over several millennia, Dark Ones had sired children, dangerous, deadly imps to be exact. So, she was not special in this instance. It was theorized goblins might actually come from the children of these creatures. _Perhaps it's a good thing I never biologically had children_.

Offspring of the Dark One tended to be violent, repulsive brutes. Hell, her madness as the Evil Queen might have been helped by Rumple's accursed blood, pushing her to do terrible things. Of course, she doubted she needed much help along that route.

Children of the Dark One actually reminded Regina of what she heard of children of Lilith. They were supposedly demons and monsters. They had magic in some shape or form, but not necessarily like hers. She would definitely have to read up on them to find out how varied their powers were.

"There has to be dozens of different types of descendants of gods," Regina sighed, thinking of the number of books she would have to go through and she got to it right away. Of course, she had the specific god, but there was a chance she might not be like any other of Lilith's descendants since she was also the Dark One's issue.

Children of the Dark One might or might not have magic, but they always had cravings, desires, wants and Heaven help whoever stood in their way. They were very much like the Dark One in temperament. They did their own wet work and, typically, it was very messy.

Offspring of Lilith did not seem quite as maniacal as those born of the Dark One. They were generally enchanting, charismatic beings, but they could be just as diabolical. They were the vampires, succubi, weres, and other creatures that went bump in the night. But, some were speculated to also be heroic demigods, like so many other humans who had ichor flowing through their veins. It was all rumors, conjecture, and stories, though. It had been millennia since anyone had even claimed to have seen, spoken to, or even worshipped Lilith in the other world.

"There has to be something to just point me in the right direction…" she muttered with a sigh.

She decided to check out her mother's journals again. She wanted to see if her mother ever suspected being a descendant of Lilith or suspected Regina was actually Rumple's child. As she flipped through page after page, she knew her mother suspected something about her own magic, but could not pin down exactly what it was.

Regina shook her head. "Descendant of a god probably never even entered Mother's mind." After all, who assumed they were family with begins who had given up on the world thousands of years ago?

There had to be a reason even the Dark One seemed frightened of her, Cora wrote. Her mother noticed Rumple did not like to deal with her after she chose status over him and she knew it had nothing to do with a broken heart, though he liked to pretend it was. Rumple watched her with a careful eye, a wary eye. It was strange that he never sought revenge against her, which she also knew had nothing to do with a broken heart.

Then, Cora realized none of the fae would do business with her and always seemed scared of being on her bad side, but refused to acknowledge she might be right on any matter. The Blue Fairy especially seemed to hold a grudge against her and she could not figure out why. Her first encounter with Blue had not been horrible on her part, until Blue got high and mighty anyway.

Their being enemies was cemented when one day, apparently, Blue came for Regina when she was barely a newborn. She was not there to bestow gifts on the child as others had, not hovering over Regina's crib in the middle of the night as she was. Cora suspected the "good fairy" tried to steal Regina to make her a changeling. Cora discovered this plot and stopped the Blue Fairy before she managed to escape with Regina. She cursed the Blue Fairy in her journal and promised to make her suffer. Fairies were notorious for kidnapping children, but usually children with latent magical abilities to use them as fae later on.

Brown eyes went wide as Regina gasped. "That damnable fairy knew!"

-8-8-8-8-

Emma sighed as she walked the dark, silent streets of Storybrooke with Neal. The streets were empty, which made some sense. Undoubtedly, everyone took cover after hearing about Regina's little tantrum. No one wanted to be in her way while she was on the warpath. Neal obviously had no plans to stay inside or at least stay with his father.

Emma had run into Neal on her way to the loft, just as he left Gold's shop. Her parents had taken Henry home, so she tried to figure out what Gold had told Neal before she went to the kid to find out what her parents might have said to him. Snow promised she had not said anything to anyone, but Emma was not totally sure she believed her mother. And, if she had not said anything, how long would that last?

The thought of what Gold told Neal already gave her a headache. She doubted whatever Gold said to Neal was the truth, considering how calm Neal was. Regina would probably have to break it to him, but she did not seem like she wanted to spit in his direction, let alone talk to him. _I can't tell him_. _It's not my place_.

"Have you been with Regina this whole time?" Neal inquired with an arched eyebrow. In a couple of hours, the sun would peek over the horizon and paint the sky in brilliant colors. Hopefully, it would be the only thing painting the town.

Emma scoffed. "This whole time? You clearly don't know Regina." Regina had not met a grudge she could not hold, after all. She was lucky to have talked Regina down in this short amount of time.

"No, I don't. Is she going to try to kill me again?"

"You're safe from her." Emma was not sure if that question meant Gold told him something like the truth. She doubted it, though. He was too calm to know the truth.

"Good. I don't need any more trauma in my life right now. Everything is always moving so fast," he sighed. She could not call him a liar on that. They walked quietly for a brief moment.

"So, you okay?" Emma asked since he was not offering up any information. If he was okay, then Gold definitely had not told him the truth. Regina had not been okay and she did not even know if what Pan said was the truth or not until after she snapped.

Neal shrugged. "Okay is a relative term. I don't think I've been okay for a long time."

 _He's not lying there_. "Do you think he told you the truth?"

He scoffed and then laughed. "I think he's incapable of telling the truth unless it suits him. He wants what he wants and he'll do anything to get it."

Emma winced. This was way too close to the truth. _Did Gold tell him the truth?_ Maybe because Neal knew his father, he could understand what his father did. Of course, understanding Gold did not explain why he was so calm, so again, she assumed Gold did not tell him what happened.

"What did he tell you?" Emma blurted out. She needed to know if he knew because he was taking this way too well if he knew.

Neal glanced at her. "He claimed Regina wanted to kill me because he tried to kill her. I've no doubt he tried to kill her, but I get the feeling she'd go at him if it was just that."

"Yeah, that is more Regina's style. I can't believe he said that. I mean, yeah, he tried to kill her." At least twice as far as Emma knew, but she had been there both times to save Regina. "Did you press him after he said that?" Neal could not have possibly just settled for that bogus response.

"Yeah, I pressed him. He then claimed she was just pissed because he tricked her into casting the Curse to come here, making her think she'd find her Happy Ending or something. Basically, she's pissed because he took her Happy Ending from her and she blamed him for the fact bad crap she had to do to cast the Curse, but he needed me to know she had it coming because she was this crazy Evil Queen who killed a bunch of people, including her own father." Neal snorted and rolled his eyes. So, he did not buy that either.

"Damn. Has he always been a liar like that?" The best lies always had a touch of truth to them and Gold obviously knew that.

Sighing, Neal rubbed his forehead. "You know, he used to be a really good father… before all the magic and Darkness and crap." He made a gesture mocking Gold, waving his hands up like he was performing magic. "He was a coward, like scared of his own shadow, but he tried to be there for me or whatever. My mom would disappear, sometimes for days, but Dad would always be there, always making sure I was okay. I don't think he would've let me go when he was just Rumple the coward."

Emma found this a little hard to believe, but with the way the world worked now, this was far from the most unbelievable thing of the year. "You think the Darkness or whatever made him hesitate in following you?"

Blowing out a breath, Neal shrugged. "I think his love of power made him hesitate following me. He wasn't ready to give that up. He wasn't ready to go back to being the guy scared of his own shadow. I get that he regrets losing me, but I don't think even now he'd give up power for me. I don't know if the Darkness corrupted him or if it was just the power itself, but he knows what he wants above all and that's power. If he could have everything else he wants, too, that's just a bonus."

Emma nodded. This sounded about right. She had met people like that, without magic inside of them, without Darkness in them, but they had serious darkness within. So, maybe Gold was just corrupted by the power and it had nothing to do with being the so-called Dark One.

"So, his dark magic or whatever didn't make him this way?" Emma asked. She wanted to understand this world everyone else was from, how magic influenced people, how it might influence her. But, she did not want to go back there.

Neal sighed. "I've tried to research the Dark One's powers as much as I could, but I still don't quite understand everything about it. I don't get when it stops being the Darkness and starts being you or it's a combination of the two. I know that Dark Ones get obsessed with things and it seems like my dad got obsessed with getting me back if he schemed for three hundred years over it."

This was not promising, but it was something she could worry about later. Right now, she needed to figure out how to help Regina. Added to that, how to tell Neal the truth of why Regina had gone after him and what Gold had actually done. She hated that it would fall to her to tell him the truth. _How the hell do I even start telling him that?_ Before she could get that together, there was an explosion in the distance. A dark mushroom cloud rose in the air and the ground shook underneath them.

Neal struggled to stay on his feet. "What the hell was that?"

Emma squinted as she tried to gauge what part of town that was. "The convent?" Who the hell would want to blow up the convent and why? "Well, duty calls." She ran off with Neal following her. "What do you think you're doing?" she asked.

"You might need help," he replied with a shrug.

She scoffed. "I've been doing just fine without you." In fact, he was dead weight the last time he tried to help in Neverland and the time before that he managed to get nearly himself killed.

He did not say anything to that, but he did not go away either. She did not have time to argue with him over this, so she just continued on her way. They met up with her parents partway.

"Reports came in saying Regina's in the convent," David reported.

 _Damn it_. What did the nuns have to do with this? "Okay. Where's Henry?"

"Granny's watching him, but he's asleep anyway," Mary Margaret replied.

That made sense. It was like three in the morning, after all, and it had been an eventful night. Still, she wished her parents had stayed with him instead of running off into danger. She also wished they would let her do her job. After all, they seemed to think they had better things to do than worry about her.

Of course, then again, they seemed pretty proud of her when she was doing the hero thing, but not any other time. _No, no, no, brain. Focus on the matter at hand. Regina is possibly killing nuns. Deal with parent crap later_. To stay on task, Emma moved, wanting to get to the convent before Regina did something she could not take back.

-8-8-8-8-

Regina appeared inside of the convent in a pillar of black fire, scorching everything within five feet of her and then freezing the floor right beneath her. Well, it would seem her flare for dramatic entrances were improved by this new magic inside of her. Hopefully, it would improve her torturing techniques as well, as she wanted the Blue Fairy to be intimately familiar with those.

"What's going on?" Blue demanded as she and several fairies fluttered into the main hall. They stood in front of the altar, putting the remaining pews between them and Regina. They had the nerve to still be dressed as nuns. There was nothing holy about them, especially their leader.

"Consider this a booty call," Regina smirked and blew a kiss to them.

There were several gasps. "The Evil Queen!"

The fairies had always had healthy fear of her, except for Tinker Bell. Was it because they all knew about her bloodline or just because she would and could flay them if given the chance? It did not matter. For the moment, she revealed in their fear. Inhaling, the scent was sweet, heady, intoxicating. She imagined tormenting Blue would be a thousand times better.

"Regina, what do you want?" Blue inquired with a glare and some bravado. The wands were out and pointed right at Regina.

The burning sensation Regina had yet to get used to intensified and her black flames swirled around her as she smirked more. It felt like she had fangs suddenly, but she could not be sure without a mirror. Rotating her wrist and flexing her hand, she watched as obsidian flames with flecks of gold and violet danced along her fingers. She felt like she could burn out the sun with this new power, even as she sucked all the warmth from the building.

The fairies did not move as they awaited her answer. Regina felt like she could feel their powers humming in the air. Even their magic seemed to tremble before her, freeze in her wake. If she wanted to, she could drown them in her own raw ability and it was like they knew that.

Regina chuckled and it sounded sinister even to her ears. "What do I want? Oh, so many things, like your suffering, your torment, and for you to die screaming in delicious agony."

Blue took a step forward, not lowering her wand. Her hand was steady, as was her breathing, which Regina could see. She did not fear Regina, but then again, she was always too confident in herself. The wooden cross above her head and behind her almost seemed like a prop she had planted there.

"So, all of that Darkness inside of you has finally come out full force." Blue tilted her chin up, as if boasting about how right she had been about Regina for her entire life.

Regina snarled and the building shook. "So, you _did_ know."

Blue still did not waver. "You were always cloaked in Darkness. It was always your destiny."

"You knew he had me just to use me for this Curse and you never stepped in to help and yet you judge me? You're the monster!" Regina roared and the dark energy around her exploded outward like blown smoke. Ice crackled through the air and up the walls.

The ground rumbled like an earthquake. The entire building was covered in pitch black, like a thick fog that bordered on a liquid. Ice clung to the ceiling, creating deadly frozen stalactites. The sound of furniture smashing against each other and the wall echoed through the area. A shard of wood shot by Regina, cutting her cheek, but she did not even flinch. Making a tight fist, she collected up the darkness back into her hand and trapped every single fairy before her, freezing them in their tracks.

"What just happened?" one of the fairies asked as they grunted and tried to move. They might never move again if Regina had her way.

Regina snickered as she watched the fairies squirm. "Oh, yes, come into my parlor said the spider to the fly. You all look so pretty dressed in my web."

Bands of inky clouds held all of the fairies in place, included Blue. Making a tighter fist, she delighted in their screams of pain and the sound of a couple of wands clattering to the stone floor. The crunch of bones snapping and splintering caused a shiver of delight to sauntered up Regina's spine. Regina swaggered to Blue, heels echoing over the grunts of the struggling fae. She stopped in front of Blue, who dared look at her with defiant eyes.

"Now, onto the part where you confess your sins to me before you die in total and complete agony," Regina said.

"You're the only sinner here," Blue replied with a glare.

Regina could feel how crooked her smile was as she tilted her head to regard Blue. A fang poked at her bottom lip and Regina licked it, not even bothered by this physical change. "Condemned before birth, eh? I was the antichrist, yes? Is that why you tried to kidnap me from my crib before I was old enough to fully open my eyes?"

Blue flinched, but then regained her bravado and glared again. "I was trying to save you from the Darkness inside of you."

"Oh, really? Is that the lie you tell yourself to help you sleep at night? How many spawns of the Dark One have you stolen in the night to save their souls?" Regina asked. Of course, maybe it would have saved her all those years ago, but it did not matter. It would have meant a life without Henry and that was no life at all.

"I did save them. You would've been much happier—" Blue's words were choked off as Regina shoved her hand in her chest.

A succulent frisson danced down Regina's spine as she just felt her way around Blue's chest. The fae were different than humans, but no one found it pleasant to have a hand in her torso. Regina doubted it helped that she slowly sucked the heat from Blue's body. Best of all, Regina could feel this new magic creeping through Blue, causing her the pain of a thousand frozen needles in every cell.

"Do not presume anything about my happiness. Let's not pretend a changeling is allowed to have true joy anyway. They're little more than your slaves, like the dwarves, meant to cater to your whims and nothing more. I don't want to talk about that, though. Just tell me how much you knew. It's clear you knew that bastard Rumple sired me and so you came to steal me away one night. My mother thwarted you and you refused to interfere in my life again? I would say out of fear of my mother, but even after she was gone, you never helped. Was it just you refused me any help because I was the offspring of the Dark One or the descendant of a god?"

Regina was not sure how this worked. She just knew she had been a pariah as far as fairy help throughout her entire life. No matter how hard got, no matter how many wishes she made, no matter how many tears she cried, fairies never came to help, like they did with others. Why? Worse yet, when Tink came along, she was actually punished for trying to help Regina.

Blue just stared her down and chuckled at her. Regina growled and fished around in Blue's chest. The fae were built differently from humans, but also from each other, depending on their power level. It was harder to find Blue's heart, but she did not care. It hurt just have a hand in there, searching around and Blue was not immune to that, grunting and growling as Regina worked.

"Regina, let her go!" Snow ordered with her bow in hand.

The foolish girl and her equally foolish family burst onto the scene. At least they did not have Henry with them. Snow fired an arrow. Regina did not even bother to turn. The arrow turned to ice and then dissolved into ash before it made it within a foot of Regina.

"Regina, hey, just let her go. She doesn't have anything to do with this," Sheriff Swan said, taking a slow step toward her.

"Stay back!" Regina snarled. "She has everything to do with this! She knew it all!"

"Regina, how could she know?" Snow asked. Of course she was ready to defend her defender to the bitter end.

"Tell them how you know everything, Blue," Regina purred sweetly, leaning in close as if to kiss the damned fairy. "Tell them, dear, you knew just what I was and stood back, letting Rumple do whatever he pleased with me, let my mother do whatever she pleased with me."

"You made your own choices," Blue replied and then groaned as Regina shoved further into her chest.

"Did I? I chose to be born of Cora and the damned Dark One? I chose that? I chose to be his device for this fucking Curse? I chose that? You knew from the start he had me with the sole intent of casting this curse to come look for his precious son! You knew that and you stood by and watched as he played me like a broken fiddle," Regina snarled and squeezed whatever the hell her hand held. For good measure, she purposely released some of her dark aura into the fairy's body.

Blue screamed like she had been dipped in boiling oil. The sound made ripples of pleasure ease through Regina. Was this magic from the Dark One poisoning the Blue Fairy? _Is she the only one it's poisoning?_

"Regina, Blue would never do anything like that! She's the ultimate good," Snow argued.

Regina laughed. "The ultimate good? You honestly believe any fae operate under human morals? She has her own agenda, like anyone else."

"She couldn't have known Rumple was your father. Your mother didn't even know," Snow pointed out.

Her mother probably fooled herself into believing that. After all, her mother felt like she got the better of the scary Dark One. Plus, her mother thought Rumple was afraid of her. Her mother probably never saw this coming.

"You're such a naive little fool, Snow. Do you really think this bitch had no idea what was going on?" Regina stared at Blue and could actually feel power flowing out of her eyes. This was beyond the Dark One and definitely had something to do with her ichor. This force inside of her might actually devour her before she could finish with Blue.

"Regina, that's crazy. You're just looking for someone to blame, like with Neal earlier," Snow said and Regina growled at the mention of his name.

Emma stepped up, always the hero. "Regina, just think about this for a second. Even if Blue knew, would it have been her place to tell you?"

"No, but it should've been her place to help me! Who just allows the Dark One to roam free and destroy innocent lives? Oh, the Blue Fairy! She does it every, single time and pretends that she's some force of good. How many lives have you watched go up in flames?" Regina pushed deeper into Blue's chest and she hollered in scrumptious misery. Shivers went through Regina and she had to exhale slowly through her nose, feeling some of her dark aura flow from her nostrils.

"Regina, even if that's the case, you can't execute her. That's not your place. Besides, do you really want to give into all of this darkness around you?" Emma asked.

Regina chuckled. "You don't get it. I already gave into a long time ago. Rumple saw fit to let it devour me. He fed me to it piece by piece and she watched. She stood by and watched."

"Your mother—" Blue choked out, but Regina pushed in further, halting her words. Blue gagged as her lips began to match her name.

"My mother wasn't there all the time, so don't use her as an excuse. You even punished Tink when she stepped in and made sure I had no one on my side. Did you want this to happen? What did you get out of it? What did you get out of watching what happened to me my whole life? What did you get out of watching as I crushed the heart of the only entity in existence to give a damn about me?" Regina screamed and pressed even more, inhaling Blue's shrieks.

There had to be something in it for the Blue Fairy, but Regina could not figure out what. What would Blue want with being in a world without magic? Maybe Blue wanted to make a study of her. She did not really care. She could not believe the Blue Fairy to tell her the truth anyway, especially with Snow right there. Blue would never do anything to make herself look bad in front of pure, little Snow.

"Regina, come on. You're just letting the stress from Neverland out now that it's all over. You have to get this under control or the magic wins," Emma said, eyes imploring with Regina to listen.

"The magic already won! You think I can get this genie back in the fucking bottle?" Regina motioned around them, the darkness blanketing the whole place, which was covered in ice and frost, popping with gold and purple lightning through it. She could not pull all this back in if she tried, not that she wanted to. It felt good, like a nice stretch after sitting for too long.

"Regina, think of Henry. He wouldn't want you just executing people," Emma said.

"Henry doesn't want me at all, so why should it matter?" Regina snarled.

Emma drew back a little and had the nerve to look at her like she was the idiot. "Henry doesn't want you? What the hell makes you think that? You just saved his life, Regina."

"Yes, so he can go with his dearest _birth parents_ ," Regina replied, spitting out the last two words. "But, this is nothing more than a distraction." She turned back to the Blue Fairy. "If I know your friends, something should be coming now."

And right on cue came the real attack from the side. Neal charged with a sword. It was quite pathetic. Regina growled and waved her hand, stopping him in his tracks. She could sense him almost as well as she could sense Emma.

"You think just because you're my brother I won't end you?" Regina demanded, sneering in Neal's direction. At this point, the only person she probably would not end was Henry.

The peon blinked and then gaped at her, mouth opened like a suffocating fish. "Brother? Wait, is that what the hell Papa did to you?"

Regina flinched. Rumple had been too much of a coward to even tell his beloved spawn what happened, as if it would change anything. It was not like anyone cared.

And, just like that, it hit her. No matter what she did, no matter who she killed, it would never undo what had already happened. She would never be more than a tool. Her whole existence was to be a weapon and without anyone wielding her, she was no better than a rusted, broken sword. The thought made her roar, black smoke coming out of her mouth and then she vanished.

"Regina, wait!" Emma called for her.

-8-8-8-8-

Next time: Neal and Regina talk.


	5. Bridge

I don't own these characters.

5: Bridge

"What the hell did she mean by brother?" Neal demanded, falling to the ground as soon as Regina vanished.

"What the hell was that, Neal? I told you to wait outside!" Emma pulled at her own hair. She knew Regina would not want to see Neal again right now, so she told him to stay out of sight. Obviously, he had listening problems. _He ruins everything!_

He had the nerve to scowl at her, like he had actually helped in someway. "I couldn't let you go in here with that lunatic alone!"

Emma threw her hands out and glared him down. "She's not a lunatic! She's in a lot of fucking pain and I think that dark magic might be taking her over." How dare he say that about Regina? It was his father's fault Regina was like this in the first place. _Shit, I could probably get Parent of the Year in the damned Enchanted Forest_. After all, Gold abandoned one son, purposely had a daughter to drive her crazy, and Emma's own parents basically blamed her for not being able to raise her and were ready to abandon her again if it meant they could be together.

"You think dark magic makes people homicidal? That's already in them and the magic gives them an excuse!" Neal countered, as if he was some expert. Yeah, his father was the Dark One and he dealt with Peter Pan, but he had no idea what happened with Regina. He had no right to judge her.

Raising a fist to Neal, a tight sneer tugged at Emma's top lip. "Oh, really? I think her excuse is that your shitty father had her just because she had enough power to cast his stupid Curse to find you and left her with an equally shitty mother before driving her bat shit crazy! But, I guess that doesn't matter because she was already homicidal before all that!"

"Emma, you don't know if that's true," Mary Margaret jumped in.

"And it doesn't excuse anything Regina did," David said. So, Mary Margaret at least told him what happened. This did not surprise Emma, as they seemed to think they were one entity. It was shocking Mary Margaret had not told anyone else, though.

Emma shook her head. "Oh, no. You think Regina just went off the deep end because of… what? Reasons? And, she literally had dark magic coming out of her pores! She's up to her eyeballs in it." Regina's eyes had burned a bright red that Emma doubted she was aware of and black flames had flickered out of her eye sockets. This seemed beyond being the offspring of the Dark One because Regina was scarier than Gold could ever dream of being. _Maybe it has something to do with this Lilith person-god-thing_.

"Wait, wait, wait." Neal held his hands up. "Are you telling me Regina is my sister? Like seriously?"

"We don't know that!" Mary Margaret objected, as if the very idea affronted her. "There's no way Regina could actually be Rumple's daughter. She wasn't always bad. She didn't always have dark magic." Her voice cracked a little. "She wasn't always bad."

Maybe Mary Margaret had been able to keep quiet about this because she had not believed it and it hurt her that it could be true. While Emma had not meant to be the one to tell, she could not be bothered to care right now. There was just too much going on and, as far as she was concerned, too much blame going the wrong way.

Emma turned to the Blue Fairy, who was bent over on the floor. The other nuns surrounded her, undoubtedly trying to make sure she was all right. Blue coughed and blood poured came from her nose and mouth.

"Did you know?" Emma demanded, glaring at Blue, feeling like this was the enemy. This was the same woman who talked her parents to putting her inside of a tree, lied to their faces so her mother could not come while allowing August of all people to ride along. She had probably known all the time just who Regina was and what Gold planned to do with her. Why the hell was she viewed as a force of good?

"Step back," one of the nuns ordered, putting her hand out. "She's in no shape to answer your questions." Emma was probably lucky the nun did not have her wand in her hand, but Emma did not care.

"Of course she is! She was in plenty of shape when she left Regina to Gold's whims," Emma growled, shoving the nun/fairy out of her way. The others advanced on her, but Blue waved them off and they obeyed her movements like shadows. It was like this news didn't even faze them, changed nothing for them.

Blue glared up at her. "Sounds like you've made up your mind, Savior."

"Because I already know the truth and I also know you're supposed to be this great force of good, but you left her to be his bitch. What the hell is wrong with you?" Emma roared. What had Blue done in the Enchanted Forest for people to assume she was good? Yeah, she helped Mary Margaret defeat Regina that one time, but what other good deeds had she chalked up?

"She's not my responsibility. The gods were supposed to look out for her! Blame them!" Blue shouted right back.

The gods? Really, that was the excuse? "That's what you're going with? God is with her?" Emma scoffed loudly.

"Not 'God.' The gods. They exist in our realm and she is their business being Lilith's descendent. Obviously she wasn't worth looking for to them. Why should I waste my time or even go out of my domain? She wasn't worth it to her own kind," Blue replied.

Emma was not sure how, but she managed to _not_ punch Blue in the face for that. "So, why should you lift a hand to help someone in distress?" _Bitch_. It was almost like Blue did not know what a hero really was or what they do. "You're supposed to help people just because it's the right thing to do!" Emma looked to her parents for confirmation of this and was in for another shock.

David and Mary Margaret just stared. It was like they did not want to get involved. They probably believed too much in the Blue Fairy. She would not hold that against them, even though they should be upset, too. Blue conned them and was the real reason Mary Margaret had not been able to accompany a newborn Emma into this world. _Bitch_.

"But… the gods are dead," Mary Margaret whispered, squinting at the ground. Okay, so maybe she was not totally brainwashed by the Blue Fairy.

Blue flinched. "No, the gods are never dead."

Emma was not sure who to believe or what they were even talking about really. She just wished her mother would jump in on this. Mary Margaret knew Regina better than anyone else, except maybe Emma. She had insisted Regina was once good. Why would she let Blue offer up this weak ass excuse, especially one she did not seem to believe? Before anything else could happen, though, Neal reminded them he was still there, wanting answers.

"Wait, rewind, back up. Regina is my sister?" Neal asked again and then glared at the Blue Fairy, stepping over to her. "You knew she was _his_ daughter and you didn't help her? What the hell? You knew what kind of man he was! Hell, you knew he wasn't a man anymore!" His voice boomed and a vein in his neck seemed ready to burst.

Emma had never seen him this upset. It was a little scary. She might have to pull him off of the Blue Fairy if he was not careful.

"He didn't raise her," Blue argued, as if this was a valid excuse.

"No, but her mother did and her mother seemed to be just as much of an asshole! My god, you people are so fucked up!" Emma huffed and she paced a bit. "You know what, screw this. I gotta go find Regina and make sure she's okay." She stepped away, wanting to leave all of this crap behind.

"Emma, wait!" Neal chased after her… again. She was sick of him, just showing up and making things worse. "Tell me where to find Regina. I wanna talk to her."

Emma blinked. "You wanna… what?" Regina might actually kill him on sight. She seemed like she was rapidly unraveling. "Do you have a death wish? All you do is screw things up and you wanna what?"

"I wanna talk to her. I wanna know what happened. I wanna know what the hell my father did to her," Neal growled.

Emma shook her head. "I don't want you to go and piss her off more. This thing is driving her nuts and I'm not sure how much more she can take." One more thing and Regina might literally blow up the town, intentionally or not.

Neal stopped just as they hit outside and he grabbed Emma by the elbow. She turned and looked at him, glaring at him enough for him to release her. He gave her puppy eyes and even poked out his lip a little. Her hatred of him told her to ignore it, but there was still a part of her that was affected by his damned expressions.

"I don't want to make this worse. I want to get to know my sister," he answered in a pleading whisper.

His begging actually cut through Emma and she sighed. "Okay, look, lemme soften her up for you. She's on edge right now and I'm not sure if she'll listen to you long enough to find out you want to get to know her."

Neal nodded, as if he understood. Maybe he had experience dealing with homicidal maniacs thanks to living with his father. Hopefully, he could handle Regina with kid gloves. She did not want to think about what might happen if Regina got riled up again.

She took him to the crypt at first, but Regina was not there. She guessed Regina wised up that this was not the best hiding place now that everyone knew about it. Her house was the next logical place to check and there were lights on. Emma pounded on the door.

"Come on, Regina. I know you're in there!" Emma knocked as loudly as she could, knowing Regina would answer just to get her to stop.

Regina practically ripped the front door open. "What, Miss Swan? What? Can't a woman drink in peace?"

-8-8-8-8-

Regina growled to herself when she heard the pounding on her door. It could only be one person. _Why won't she just leave me be?_ She did not have the answer to that and doubted she ever would. So, she finished pouring herself a drink, a full glass of cider, and then marched to the door. Briefly, she contemplated blasting Emma through the closed door, but managed to quell that desire. Out of all the people she was angry with, Emma was actually low on the list now.

"What, Miss Swan? Can't a woman drink in peace?" Regina hissed.

"I don't think drinking is the answer. And, believe me, I'm usually all for drinking until it is the answer," Emma remarked with a crooked, somewhat uncomfortable smile.

"I figured you'd prefer my drinking to my other solution."

"Well, killing people isn't the answer either."

Regina rolled her eyes. "You didn't say that when I crushed Pan's heart."

Emma winced and Regina chuckled a little. Poor Miss Swan would never admit that some people just needed killing. Pan was one. She was fairly certain Blue was another. There was something not quite right about her, but Regina did not have all the facts yet. Maybe she would never have all of the facts, but still, Blue probably needed to be put out of everyone's misery. Of course, Rumple deserved killing and she would get to that eventually. With this power growing inside of her, she was certain she could take the Dark One with a wave of her hand.

 _Is this why he feared Mother? Was Mother capable of this, but never achieved this level or is this because of_ his _blood?_ Would she ever know?

"Regina, killing people isn't going to make this any better. But, maybe talking will help," Emma said.

Regina scoffed. "I'd rather drink." She waved her glass in front of Emma's face. Of course, she would rather drink as she had already figured out killing people would not make this any better.

"Are you sure?" That damned voice asked and Neal or Baelfire or whatever the hell his name was stepped into the porch light.

"What are you doing here?" Regina demanded and it got darker and colder almost instantly.

"I just wanna talk," he replied.

"About what?" she growled.

"About being siblings. I had no idea." He put his hands on his chest.

Regina studied him, blatantly looking him up and down. Why would he know? She did not know. He had not spoken to Rumple in centuries, tried to escape Rumple for centuries. None of this was his fault, but everything was his fault.

"Look, you're pissed. I get it as best I can. I don't know what the hell Papa did to you—"

She cut him off. "He's not my papa!" she snarled and her powers swirled around her. Her damn daddy was in the ground. _But, that's your fault_. The whispered mocking words of truth tore through her.

He held up a hand, conceding the point. "No, you're right. Hell, he stopped being my papa after he got that damn dagger. I want to know what you know, though. I want to know what he did to you. I want… I want to know my sister."

Sister. She was someone's sister. She had a brother. A brother who could do no wrong, who everyone wanted to know and be with, who everyone was willing to fight for and here she was, the cast off. She was the garbage.

"You don't want to know me. No one wants to know me, not even my son," she spat, looking away. The dark cloud around her died down a little.

"Regina…" He took a step closer to her, keeping eye contact. "I want to know you. Can you give me that chance?" he whispered this and Regina tensed, not sure how to take it. "How about you give me five minutes? You owe me at least that since you put your hand in my chest."

Regina curled her lip, but she looked over at Emma as she did this. Emma had a damn pout on her face, silently pleading with Regina to talk to him. Of course Emma would want her to talk to him. Everyone wanted things to go smoothly for him, after all. She wanted to slam the door in his face, but something stayed her hand. She decided to blame Emma's stupid puppy expression rather than any curiosity on her part.

"Five minutes." Regina stepped ahead and motioned for them to come in.

"Thank you." Oh, he had something that resembled manners. He moved, but Emma did not.

Regina held the door open and motioned for Emma to come in as well. Once they were inside, she closed the door and quietly made her way to her study. Neal was the only one who followed. This made his words seem a little more sincere. Emma trusted him to be there to get to know her, trusted him to be alone with her. But, that did not mean Regina trusted him.

"Have a seat," Regina said, motioning to an empty chair across from her chaise. She eased herself down onto the chaise, making sure to perform these motions as regally as possible. He might be the golden boy, but he was still a peasant and she was the queen.

He looked around as he flopped into the chair. "Nice place you have here."

"I suppose." She had once found it quaint after living in a castle for so long and before that a true manor house, but she had gotten used to it. Once Henry came along, it felt like home. This was a first and it was wonderful. "I'd offer you a drink, but I don't want you to stay that long."

He laughed a little, but it sounded quite uncomfortable. Good. Why should he feel comfortable in her home? "That's fair, I guess."

"What should I call you?"

"I prefer Neal, if you don't mind."

She shrugged. "Makes no difference to me. What's in a name, after all?" None of hers mattered. She might as well have been called "damned."

Taking a breath, he held his head up high. "Lots, actually. Being Neal allows me to cast off myself from the other realm. It allows me to be me rather than to be the Dark One's son."

She understood this to a degree, she supposed. She no longer relished the title the Evil Queen, which people called her as if it was her name. She had lost Regina along the way, but Regina had already been corrupted by the time she got lost. Regina had never had this chance to cast herself off and be her.

"When did you find out about…?" He trailed off and just opened his hands as a gesture that he was done.

"Pan told me as I held his heart in my hand."

He nodded. "Did he explain why you're smoking, too?"

She waved her hand, as if she were trying to dispense the fog around her. While it might have gone down some, she had not been able to get rid of it completely, even when she was alone. "Apparently, I am a descendant of Lilith."

Well, she assumed the power pouring from her was because of that. From her research, this was not something that happened to the progeny of Dark Ones. It seemed safe to assume the overflow was due to her ichor.

He rubbed the side of his mouth as he nodded. "Ah. That explains why the Blue Fairy dismissed you out of hand so easily."

She growled. "What do you mean?" What the hell did he know about the Blue Fairy?

"Emma got in her face about not helping you and the Blue Fairy said the gods were supposed to look after you. Like she didn't have to help you because you're a demigod, which is bullshit. If she knew Papa was using you, she should've stepped in immediately." His eyes flashed, like he hated the Blue Fairy as much as she did.

"Yes, well, Blue has always been a bitch."

"Can't deny that," he mumbled, rubbing his scruffy chin again.

 _Is he saying these things just to get to me or does he really mean it? Does he know about the Blue Fairy?_ "Why do you say that?"

He blew out a breath. "Quid pro quo."

She tipped her glass to him, a little impressed that he knew the phrase. "What would you like me to exchange?"

"I tell you what she did to me and you tell me what my father did to you."

Regina wanted to say she did not care, but she was curious. Maybe his story would help her figure out what the Blue Fairy's game was. Did she get something out of the Dark Curse being casted? Or had she miscalculated something along the way and found herself outplayed by the Dark One?

"Fine." She took a healthy sip of her drink.

"I was about fourteen when I came across the Blue Fairy. Papa had been the Dark One for a while and I didn't like what it was doing to him. He was so different, so… murderous. I wanted to help him, save him. Someone told me to call on her and I did. She showed up. She gave me a bean and talked me into using it to go to a realm without magic. I figured this would be the way to get my father back. He couldn't be the Dark One without magic, after all."

He shrugged and paused for a second, clenching his fist a few times. His lip trembled and he looked away for a long moment. She did not press. He probably needed a minute, as this obviously did not go the way he thought it would. It sounded like the Blue Fairy misled him, or possibly played him. Surely there were less drastic solutions to helping him get his father back.

"She didn't tell me this was insane or there might be another way. She just went along with my naive fantasy of going somewhere else and that'd somehow solve all of our problems." Sighing, he shook his head. "She didn't even try to suggest something else."

Scowling, Regina sipped her drink. "This doesn't surprise me."

"After hearing what she did to you, yeah, it doesn't surprise me either. I think she was just trying to get the Dark One out of the realm. At least, I hope that's what she was trying to do. I could accept her asshole move if it was for the greater good."

Regina scoffed. "Seriously?"

"Okay, I can understand her asshole move if it was for the greater good, but she helped me kinda fuck up my life even more than it was before. Beyond that, I started thinking, what if she knew he wouldn't follow me? Like she knew he'd chicken out and I'd be lost down that stupid rabbit hole my whole life? If she wasn't trying to get him out of the realm, maybe she was trying to get him focused on something, like getting me back, to keep him from causing the destruction a Dark One with his own dagger is capable of. I was just collateral damage in some stupid scheme. Either way, it was a shitty thing to do to a kid. Then, there's always the chance, she wasn't even trying to do either of those things."

Regina grunted. This was dangerous thinking. Neal had considered the possibility that Blue had not done something for the good of the people. There could have been some agenda in separating the Dark One from his son. Rumple played long ball, very long. What if Blue was the same? What could be the end game for her? What was any of this? Or maybe she had just tried to do a good deed where the ends justified the means.

"Did she really think the Dark One would be so easily fooled?" Regina wondered aloud. She doubted it.

He shrugged. "Maybe she figured it was worth a shot."

Regina nodded and considered maybe this was what the Blue Fairy wanted, to come here like Rumple without any nefarious intent. Was this what the Blue Fairy got out of leaving her to Rumple's devices? She would be able to come to this realm and find this kid she grossly led astray and maybe correct this one horrible move she made? It was possible. Neal was the golden child, after all. He could be so precious that even the seemingly amoral Blue Fairy wanted to do right by him.

"So, what did he do to you? What did Pan say he did, anyway?" Neal inquired.

Regina was not ready to tell the whole sordid story as Neal was. But, he probably had never had a chance to tell anyone, especially someone who might understand. She had to tell him something, though. That was the deal, after all.

She took another sip of her drink, wanting to be nonchalant over this. Of course, that was a little hard since she had already tried to kill two people in one night. "I was sired for the sole purpose of casting the Curse."

Neal's brow wrinkled. "The Curse?"

 _So, Emma and Henry haven't caught him up on what's going on_. It was truly shocking Snow had not told the whole town this tidbit of news the first chance she got. "The Dark Curse. The manner in which we got here." She flicked her wrist while gesturing around the room.

"The Dark Curse. That doesn't sound good."

"No, it sounds essentially how you would think a curse should sound. In order to cast it, my heart needed to a piece of coal."

Neal chewed on the corner of his mouth briefly. "And he made sure that happened?"

"He did." He probably thought just leaving her with her mother, Cora would handle that. How wrong he was. She had almost beaten her mother and then Daniel was murdered. Just when she thought she won by pushing her mother through the mirror, Rumple made himself known and led her down a path so much darker than her childhood could have imagined.

With a scowl, Neal rubbed his palms together. "So… he had you and then purposely turned you into someone who could cast the Curse?"

"To hear Pan tell it, he needed it to be me because I'm a descendant of Lilith. I, therefore, have enough power to cast it. Well, with the help of his dark magic, too." Her eyes drifted to her hand, watching the blackness flicker between her fingers.

Neal exhaled and rubbed his palms together again. "So, he had you and corrupted you for what? To chase me?"

"To my understanding of it."

Scowling, Neal puffed out his cheeks and ran his hand through his short hair. "Are you kidding me? He was too scared to follow me in the first fucking place! There's no way in Hell he plotted so long to come over here for me, not without his precious power."

Regina blinked. Rumple had ensured magic would come with them. He somehow had a spell to bring magic to this realm. This was probably part of his plot. He planned it all down to a T, getting his brat back and having his magic while screwing her over in the process.

"What did he do to you? How did he prepare you to cast this fucking curse?" Neal demanded, eyes practically boring into her. He had his hands pressed together, fingers locked, and his knuckles were white. It looked like he might actually break his own hands.

Regina blinked again. Neal seemed outraged… on her behalf. She did not know what to make of this, had not expected this.

"What does it matter to you?" she hissed.

"Because he's done a lot of fucked up shit, but for you to sit here and tell me he actually purposely had you to cast this bullshit curse to chase after me…" Neal snarled and slapped down on the arm of the chair. "You know what, I'm done with him. I'm so fucking done with him. Fuck him." He cut his hands through the air.

She arched an eyebrow. "Excuse me?"

"Fuck him. He can't possibly think I, his child, was so important that he'd purposely fuck over another child for me. This shit has to do with the fact that I escaped him. He lost me. This is his Dark One shit going nuts over the fact that he lost."

Regina could not argue that. It made sense. Rumple was a bitch to deal with once he felt like he lost. After all, he actually summoned a wraith after her because of what she did to Belle, as if he had not imprisoned and used Belle himself. Then, of course, there was his hand in helping her murder her mother. _How he had to savor that, destroying us both a little more in one simple act_.

Blinking, he looked at her with big brown eyes, shimmering with unshed tears or fury. Maybe both. "Regina, look, I'm not him and, like I said, fuck him. This is bullshit. I want to know you. I don't know if you want it, but I wouldn't mind you seeing me as a brother. I understand we have different mothers, hell, parents altogether, but outside of… _him_ …" He sneered. "And now, Henry, I don't have any other family and I haven't had any for a while."

Regina tilted her head a little. "You don't count Emma as family?" He seemed all hugged up on Emma at the party. She was sure they were on their way to being the Happily Ever After couple with their ready-made family of Henry.

He scoffed. "I'd like to. Believe me, I'd like to. But, you think I don't know how badly I fucked that up?"

Maybe he was not a total idiot. "You're still sniffing around her, though, hoping she'll forgive you. Then, you and she can disappear with my son." She glared at him and hoped he understood from the look in her eyes that she would not let that happen. Maybe Henry would never love her the way he loved his birth parents, but she still loved him and she needed him in her life in some manner. And, he might not like it, but he needed her.

His shoulders slumped. "I had hoped when I first saw them that we could be a family, but then I got here and realized Henry had… well, you. He was adopted and this whole thing was a mess. Yeah, I had fantasies, but those can be changed. Regina, I don't want to be another member of this family who has fucked you over. No matter how this falls now, you're my sister, even if you don't see me as a brother. I've got your back, just like Emma."

Regina shook her head. No one had ever had her back like Emma and she doubted anyone ever would. Once Emma came back for her in the mine, she knew. She probably should have known when Emma refused to leave her in that fire, but she was pretty thickheaded about some things.

"Hopefully, one day, you'll let me in, like Emma," he said.

She frowned. "I have done no such thing with Miss Swan." And, she definitely would not do such a thing with him, brother or not.

He chuckled a little and glanced away briefly before giving her a little smile. His eyes shined as he took her in. "Okay." No, that did not sound very convincing, but for the moment and for the first time in what felt like forever, she was not angry or upset.

Neal looked at her differently now. He looked at her like she mattered. Just like that, she had a big brother.

"You do know I've killed people, right? I mean, I killed Pan," she pointed out. If he could so easily drop Rumple for being evil, then she might as well unload her sins to get rid of him.

"Pan deserved it. He tried to kill Henry. The others… did you kill them after Papa suddenly popped up in your life?" he asked.

"Yes."

He actually waved it off. "Then, I'll give you pass. He was grooming you for this curse thing and needed you a certain way. I'm sure he was a great cheerleader in getting you to crush people with your powers. Speaking of which, you know your cloud shrank a little."

Regina looked down at herself and found he spoke the truth. This stupid little talk actually settled her a bit. Maybe she would be able to get the furnace inside of her under control before she truly did hurt someone… someone who did not deserve it. Not that there were many of those in Storybrooke in her opinion.

"Like I said, you don't have to look at me as a brother. You don't even have to think about me right now. I know you have a lot of things on your mind, but just know, to me, you're my sister and what you've done in the past doesn't change that. You're my sister," he said.

She sighed. "Then, you can leave with the knowledge that I don't blame you for this anymore." No, this was all on Rumple now.

He gave her a small smile and stood up. "I'll take it for now."

-8-8-8-8-

Next time: family time, just not Regina's family.


	6. Gateway

I don't own these characters.

6: Gateway

Emma watched as Neal walked back downstairs from Regina's study. He looked like he wanted to put his fist through something, probably Gold if Regina told him the whole story. She could not believe Regina told him the whole story, though. Regina seemed to hate him, or at the very least resent him. _Not that I can blame her_.

"How is she?" Emma asked. Regina had not come down. It seemed weird that Regina would not walk them to the door. She was nothing else beyond a weirdly good hostess.

Neal shook his head. "Not good. But, I think it's kinda okay."

"You managed to get her to 'kinda okay' without beer and donuts?" Emma feared her touch might be slipping if he could outdo her, especially when Regina wanted to kill him a few hours ago. She thought she was on her way to being the Regina-whisperer and now it seemed like she fooled herself.

"I figured she'd deserve to drink with all the shit she'd gone through, but she's well stocked, so I didn't need to have beer," he replied with a shrug.

Emma glanced upstairs and every instinct in her body told her to go to Regina. Regina should not be going through all of this alone. If nothing else, it just reinforced what Pan said about her and Regina definitely did not need that. _No one should go through life thinking they don't matter_. She knew all too well what that was like.

"Why don't you stay here with her? We can all regroup in the morning. There's a lot of catching up to do," Neal pointed out, as if he read her mind.

She nodded because he was right. She had not really gotten a chance to explain to him Henry's relationship with Regina and the circumstances surrounding them. He also did not explain what he expected from her or Henry or Regina at this point. Then, there was the whole idea of seeing if Regina was open to co-parenting Henry with her and if so, how they might go about that.

"Okay. In the morning, I'll go get Henry and then we'll pick you up and we'll meet up here," Emma said.

"Well, you might wanna tell Regina that before inviting us all over." He pointed with his thumb upstairs.

Emma chuckled a little. "Lemme worry about Regina." She felt a bit responsible for Regina anyway, but she also knew she would be able to convince Regina for them to all have a sit down here. It was not like Regina would want to go to the loft or sit in a booth at _Granny's_ to discuss this latest development in their lives (not that Granny would let her in after the party), but Regina would want and possibly need some sort of resolution in place.

He nodded and waved before departing. Emma shut the door and locked down the house, even though it was not necessary. She doubted anyone wanted to test Regina right now, which was good. She was not sure Regina could control herself for much longer in _not_ slaughtering someone.

She quietly made her way to the study. It was dead silent, except for some flames flickering in the fireplace. Spooky shadows danced on the walls, but the fire also kept away the cold Emma could feel just underneath everything.

"Regina, you okay?" Emma asked. Any other time, she would have cursed herself for asking such an obvious question, but this time, she felt it was not obvious.

"I had a feeling you'd stay behind, Miss Swan," Regina practically purred.

The sound of her voice like that made Emma shiver a little. Emma shook it off by the time she entered the office to find Regina lounging on her chaise. She was stretched out like a big cat, regal and deadly. The glass in her hand was nearly empty. Was Regina drunk?

If Regina was drunk, it had done little for her powers since she had answered the door some minutes ago. Maybe this was how she was able to sit down with Neal. Emma knew drinking would help her in sitting down with Neal. Of course, after being at the party with him and trying to escape him practically fusing with her, she was not sure if there was enough alcohol in Storybrooke.

"How you doing?" Emma asked as she eased down across from Regina. The chair was warm, so this was probably the seat Neal just vacated.

Regina rolled her eyes. "How does it look like I'm doing?"

"Honestly, better." While Regina was still covered in floating blackness, it was not as thick as it had been back at the convent. She did not have fangs anymore like at the convent either or red power bleeding out of her eyes. The idea that Neal got Regina to calm down enough for the aura to recede a bit made Emma stomach twist a little, but she ignored it.

Regina scoffed, like she did not believe she seemed better. "Why are you here?"

The question made Emma wince. After everything, did Regina really think she would just leave her on her own? Or was it that after everything Regina would rather see Neal than her? Both those thoughts hurt.

Regina sighed and her features softened. "Someone should be with Henry and I don't trust your parents not to lose him again. I'm not sure I can be trusted should he vanish a second time."

 _Wow_. Okay, Regina did trust her. A lot. This realization hit Emma square in the chest and settled there. She dare not let the feeling go. Now, she needed to help work Regina into a state where she could trust herself.

"How close did you come to killing Blue tonight?" Emma knew they dodged a bullet, but she wondered by how much.

A devilish smile curled onto Regina's lips and her eyes swam with wicked delight. "I'm still close, dear." She purred again. "I think Neal showing up just delayed the inevitable. I can feel that I will kill her. I will also kill Rumple. I just want to taste their screams of pain first."

That was definitely a creepy thing to say. _Is that the magic or is that Regina? Are they the same thing now?_ No, Regina was in there. She had not killed Neal, after all. "You mean that, don't you?"

"I do. It will be glorious." A twisted smile settled on Regina's face. "Would you like me to kill your parents as well?" she proposed, like this was normal. _Is this what Regina's like when she's drunk?_

Hazel eyes went wide. "What? No!" Emma shot forward, but remained in her seat, wanting Regina to see just how serious she was. "Don't kill my parents!"

"They upset you, though."

Emma frowned as she sat back a little, still wanting Regina to understand how serious she was. _How the hell does she know that?_ "They did, but that doesn't mean I want them to die."

Regina's head swayed a little as she absorbed this information. "I suppose. What did they do to upset you?"

"How do you know they upset me?" Her parents had not figured it out, but then again, she noticed they seemed to be rather self-involved.

Regina scoffed and glanced at her empty glass momentarily. "Oh, please. You'd have to be blind to miss it. You were a little distant from them in Neverland and not quite like yourself, even after admitting to feeling like a Lost Girl. There's been something weighing on you, more so now than before. I figure it was either them or the pirate."

Emma rolled her eyes. "The pirate, really?"

"Well, I imagined you needed to figure out how to let him down gently and inform him you would be giving Neal a second chance."

"There's not a snowball's chance in Hell I'd give Neal a second anything, except maybe kick in the ass," Emma huffed. She now expected this crap from her mother, but she thought Regina would know her better than that.

Regina cocked an eyebrow. "Oh? You seem involved at the party… You know, before I really touched his heart."

"You could have his heart in that sense. I don't want anything to do with him. He was chasing after me at the party. Mary Margaret wants me to give him another chance, though. David actually wanted me to give Hook a shot."

Regina chuckled. It sounded smooth. "Your parents have given you such wonderful options."

Blowing her hair out of her face, Emma scratched the back of her head. "I can't figure out why they'd push me to be with either of them. Neal… just forget it. He's an ass. He left me to go to jail. I had to give Henry up because he wasn't there. He chose not to be there. Why should I go back to that?"

Regina nodded. "Very good question."

"And Hook? Don't get me wrong. The guy looks good and I like the attention, but I've chased marks with better records than him. What kind of father would want his daughter to go with a guy who tried to kill her?"

"You parents are quite unique. I will give them that. I would not wish these options on Henry and I doubt you would."

"No. Is it some weird Enchanted Forest thing I don't get?" Emma felt this way about a lot of things, but was not sure who to ask.

"Well, one does almost always want their child to find True Love. I suppose they believe more in that than in the character of these men they want to be your True Love. As a True Love pair, perhaps they think the magic there will somehow change these men for the better."

Emma scoffed. "I'm not sure they want what's best for me."

"Who? Your parents? Is this the issue you have with them?" Regina seemed rather interested, almost like she cared.

For a long moment, Emma stared at Regina. Should she tell Regina? Why not? She already told Regina about her "relationship" woes and how her parents seemed way more invested in the men than she did. It would not take much to admit she felt her parents took more interest in her relationship status than in her. But, what if Regina told her she was being silly and told her to just keep doing what she was doing and everything would work out? She would do that, even though she knew it would hurt.

Trying to give her all to her parents seemed to do nothing but cause her pain. They wanted her to be a hero, so she tried her best and so far she had not done anything remotely right, or so it felt anyway. They kept pushing and she kept trying, kept failing it seemed, and she feared one day they would just give up on her, as it seemed so easy for them to do. She also feared one day, she would not know what the "heroic" thing was to do and ruin everything somehow. She wished she could just go back to doing the right thing because it was the right thing, but she wanted them to love her.

"Emma, your parents?" Regina softly pressed.

"Them…" Emma sighed and shook her head. "Maybe it's me. I mean, I might be being silly or something." She had to be. Her parents were seen as pillars of righteousness by so many people, so it had to be her.

"What happened?" Regina asked, again almost like she cared.

At first, Emma considered keeping it to herself. Technically, she and Regina were not friends. Emma had only pulled Regina from a fire and Regina had only yanked her from the Enchanted Forest. They just happened to work together to save the town and save their son… although Regina had done most of the heavy lifting on the second one. Of course, Emma had saved Henry before in the mine… and she was off track.

"You know what, you're a mom and you're from the Enchanted Forest, so maybe you can make sense of this." Emma considered Regina would be able to make more sense of it since she had been a mother for nearly eleven years while Emma barely had a year under her belt and she was not even sure that year counted. Added to that, she now knew the Enchanted Forest was just a different place compared to what she was used to and it might factor in with how her parents acted.

Regina stared her down. "What is the issue, dear?"

Taking a breath, Emma rubbed her heads together. "Okay, here's the thing, let's say… I dunno, you had a partner who got poisoned and couldn't leave some place, but Henry wanted to leave. Do you stay or do you go?"

Regina frowned. "You know my answer to that, as you know your answer to that. You're troubled by your mother's very stupid declaration that she would stay in Neverland with your idiot father."

"She loves him more than she loves me," Emma blurted out. This had bothered her. She was not sure if it was true, but it damn sure felt that way. It felt like she was not worth the trouble, not worth getting to know. "It's like… I'm not worth sticking around for."

Regina's scowl deepened and she looked away. The black cloud around her grew and Emma feared Regina might actually go to kill her parents next. It was not like Mary Margaret was her favorite person on the planet anyway.

"Regina, you don't have to kill them," Emma said.

Regina licked her lips and settled in her seat again. "Fine. Fine." She glanced away for a moment. "Is that all?"

It was Emma's turn to look away. Was that not enough? To feel like she was so insignificant that her parents could abandon her yet again?

"They talk about not raising me like it was my fault, like I put myself in that damned wardrobe and sent myself away. She had the nerve to feel cheated out of my childhood and just wants to replace me with another kid. She wants to have a kid to raise, like I'm not her kid, even though I'm not a kid. She's never asked what my childhood was like. She's just upset she missed out being a mom, but not about how shitty my life was. What the hell?" Emma snarled, making tight fists and flexing her biceps.

Regina had noise at the back of her throat. "And when did that come up?"

"When we went to look for Neal."

"Oh, yes, when you put him ahead of Henry." Regina rolled her eyes.

"I didn't put him ahead of Henry! He had been to Neverland before and faced Pan, he could've helped." She would never put Neal ahead of Henry. Screw Neal! No one went ahead of Henry now, which is why she could not understand why her mother could put David ahead of her.

Regina arched an eyebrow. "And did he?"

Emma twisted her mouth up and a spot on the ceiling demanded her attention. "I thought you were all right with Neal."

"Oh, I am. This wasn't his fault. You made a decision that I wasn't enough to rescue Henry and went off to find Neal, as everyone always does apparently."

Emma moved forward in her chair, sitting on edge and resisting the urge to take Regina's hand in her own. Getting so close, she realized, somehow Regina smelled of sorrow. Like old rain, salt, and cardboard. It hung in the air, like wafting from that dark cloud around her. It was like a punch to the chest, sucking all of her air out and torturing her.

It was one thing to know she disappointed Regina when she went to get Neal over continuing to search for Henry. She was used to being a disappointment, but she had also saddened Regina with her decision, like she had picked Neal over Regina, as everyone seemed to do.

"Regina, it wasn't like that!" Emma's mind raced, wanting to make this better. "I'd never think he was more capable than you. I just thought we could use all of the help we could get. I would never put someone above Henry, which is why I can't get why the hell my mom would just leave me and stay in Neverland. Is that selfish?" She was not sure how this parent thing worked. Adults throughout her life had always put their wants and needs above hers. She just thought actual parents would be different, _her_ actual parents.

"Of course it's not selfish to want your mother to pick you." Regina rolled her eyes again, but leaned closer to Emma. "You feel like your mother thinks her shepherd is irreplaceable while she can always have more kids. Maybe she does look at things that way. Snow, despite what everyone wants to think, is just as selfish as I could possibly be. She just killed less people."

The fact that her mother killed people at all was enough to shake Emma, but to hear what she feared was true was worse. She was replaceable, even to her birth parents. It would only be a matter of time before they got rid of her, like everyone always did. _Wasn't that what Mary Margaret's secret was all about? How she wants to really raise a kid, so I don't even count?_

"Was I just convenient to be the Savior?" Emma wondered aloud. Was that the only reason her parents even had her?

"Ah, two objects sat in a room and one offered the other a drink," Regina remarked with a smirk. She even looked amused, which was probably because she was a little tipsy.

Sighing, Emma rubbed her face. "I might need something a little more potent than cider."

Regina smirked again, almost proudly. "Potent. I dare to think I'm influencing your vocabulary. I have some scotch you might like."

"Because of course you do." Knowing Regina, it was probably a thousand years old, "aged to perfection," and somehow infused with diamonds.

Regina ignored her and rose to her feet, managing to look regal even then, despite the fact she stumbled a bit. Regina refreshed her own drink and then poured some for Emma. After handing Emma her drink, Regina eased back down onto her chaise.

"Are we really the lamest joke fate ever put together?" Emma sipped her drink.

"I think the joke will be on fate should we manage to get our shit together," Regina replied.

"Okay, your Majesty, maybe the bar needs to cut you off after this," Emma said, quite serious. Regina had to be drunk if she was cursing, without magic being involved.

"Merely stating a fact."

Emma did not call her a liar on that, but she did not see how they could possibly get their shit together. Regina's eyes still glowed, now a little more golden than red, and she still had that aura around her, so she was probably still quite homicidal. Emma could not possibly force her parents to love her more, could not force them to treat her as their offspring, their child. Life had totally taught her that did not work. What was there to do?

"Is life supposed to be nothing more than despair all the time?" Emma asked.

"By my experience, yes, and if you dare find a moment of happiness, it will be torn from you in a gruesome fashion to remind you to never feel good again. But, I hope we can shield Henry from this," Regina replied.

Emma sighed. "You were good to him before all of this, right?"

"As good as I could have been."

Emma nodded. "I'm sorry."

"Don't be. None of this was your fault. Rumple saw you coming to end the Curse so he could search for Neal. We've all been played, but you and I were major instruments."

"How do you know Rumple did all of this?" Yeah, Pan said Rumple put together the Curse and everything, but how could Rumple know she would show up to break the Curse?

Regina shook her head. "I know him and how he works. He plays a very long con. Besides, I can feel it." She looked at her free hand, eyes locked on, almost marveling, but her mouth was cut into a serious frown.

"We'll find a way to turn it off." Emma did not think Regina looked very comfortable with her new found power.

Regina did not say anything. Why should she? This was something in her blood and it seemed like Neverland woke up a sleeping dragon. But, Emma would not rest until she found a way to turn it off, to get Regina back to normal, and for Regina to get a chance to just be Regina. For now, she would try to comfort Regina as best she could. Maybe Regina would even return the favor, or at the very least be honest with her, so she could learn to move on.

-8-8-8-8-

Regina watched as Emma fell asleep in her chair, still holding her empty scotch glass. Taking the glass, she covered Emma with a blanket. The temptation to go destroy Snow and her shepherd was strong as she looked on the sleeping face of the Savior. How dare they discard their child? How dare they make her feel like she was not enough? Children were not interchangeable or replaceable.

"But, she doesn't want you to do that," Regina reminded herself aloud. Emma would never forgive her for killing Snow and the pretender. Emma understood parents were not interchangeable, and she was right.

So, instead of teleporting over to Snow and David to possibly devour their souls, she fixed another drink and sat down to stare at Emma. Emma, who could not stand to leave her behind, even if she was lost in her own misery. Emma was attached to her. Perhaps it was because of their fates.

"How much is destiny at play? How much of this is Rumple's hand? How much of it is the Blue Fairy's hand? How much of our lives are our own?" Regina did not know and she did not want to think about it right now.

What she did know and did not want to think about even more was Emma just being there for her, more than any other person. Emma exhibited many qualities of her idiot parents, especially her impulsive father, but the qualities were directed at Regina. The last person to be there for Regina without being forced was her father and now, she was not even sure her father was totally there for her. Had he been scared of her, like Pan claimed? No, he had been willing to sacrifice himself for her happiness.

"And I blew it." Of course, she was not totally sure if there was happiness out there for her. She had Henry, but even he decided she was not worth it. Of course, Emma thought she was worth something, which was why she kept coming back. "And maybe I should concede you, too, are worth something, Miss Swan." If it boiled down to it, Regina knew she would pick Emma over everyone on the planet sans Henry if she had to make a choice for whatever reason.

If Emma was always there for her, why should she not be the same? It did not bother her to feel this way. Loyalty was not something to be ashamed of, wanting to reward loyalty was not something to be upset over.

Regina could feel her magic rising up and calling to her again, wanting her to avenge Emma. Instead, she decided to do something Emma would appreciate. She would look into making a big breakfast. In the morning, she would tell Emma to get Henry and they could have a real breakfast. It was possible this would keep the temptation out of her system, even though her blood called for blood.

Hopefully, cooking would quell the feeling in her. Cooking soothed her, like doing research. She supposed cooking always reminded her of potion making. There were ingredients and mixing and heating things to the right temperature for the right amount of time. Baking was the same.

"Perhaps I'll make some donuts, too." Emma would appreciate that.

-8-8-8-8-

Emma was a little surprised when she woke up with a blanket over her. Regina had not minded her staying over and had even tried to make her a little more comfortable. This let her know how off balance Regina really was. She would do her best to put Regina back together and for that to happen, they would definitely need Henry here.

"Hey, Regina," Emma called as she left the study. She checked down the hall to see if Regina went to her room, but it was clear no one slept in there. "Regina!" She called loudly as she wandered the house.

Regina groaned. "Honestly, Miss Swan, were you raised in a barn?" It sounded like she was in the kitchen. That explained the wonderful smell of food in the air.

"I can honestly say that was one of the few places I did not call home." Emma doubted she would have survived on a farm.

"Your screaming through the house suggests otherwise."

Emma went and leaned against the entrance of the kitchen. Regina was making breakfast. This was normal. Now, if only a black fog did not surround her, it would even seem wholesome. She would probably be able to enjoy the sight a bit more, too, if it was were not for the phantom mist.

"I'm gonna go get Henry, and Neal if you don't mind him," Emma said. They could all sit down and figure some stuff out.

Regina glanced over her shoulder and then turned back, giving something in a pan her attention. "He may come."

"Okay. We'll be back in, like, a half hour, maybe a little more depending on how ready the kid is."

"Breakfast should be done by then."

Emma nodded, even though Regina could not see and she was off. Henry was up, along with his grandparents. She arrived just in time to get him to stop pouring a bowl of cereal.

"Put that away, kid. Your mom has a real breakfast going," Emma announced as she walked over to Henry. She mussed his hair.

"Mom? You were with Mom? Is she okay?" Henry asked. He turned to her, instantly forgetting his cereal. His eyes begged her for good news and she was please she could give it to him.

"She's okay as she's going to be for the moment. I think seeing you will make her feel better," Emma replied with a smile. She knew that would touch Henry and his face lit up as he took in the words.

"You're taking him to see Regina? After she almost killed the Blue Fairy?" Mary Margaret marched over to her and looked at her as if she was insane.

"Yeah, I'm taking him to see her. Are you really going to stand here and defend the Blue Fairy?" Emma countered. After what happened last night, if she were in charge, she would be asking the Blue Fairy to leave, not caring that the town line was cursed.

Mary Margaret threw her hands out. "Yes! She helped save me a number of times from Regina. She's made some mistakes, I'll admit."

Emma scowled. "Some mistakes?" _Wow_. "She's the reason I grew up alone."

"No, Regina's the reason for that," David said, stepping into the mix. "Regina is the reason we're all here. Who her parents are don't excuse what she did and don't suddenly make her the victim here. So, maybe we should talk about you taking Henry to see her, especially after last night."

"Yes, we definitely need to talk about this and figure out if its safe or not," Mary Margaret said.

Emma was a little stunned by their stubbornness, especially Mary Margaret. She thought Mary Margaret would be happy to know Regina had not just blossomed into this evil, wicked creature overnight, but it seemed like she could not accept all of the changes around her. Maybe this was all too much. _Or maybe you're making excuses for them, like you've been doing_.

"Seeing him will probably help her and I'm sure the kid wants to make sure his mom is all right," Emma replied. Henry gave an enthusiastic nod.

"You're his mother," Mary Margaret insisted with stricken eyes.

"Yeah, and so is she." Emma wondered if Mary Margaret had to keep insisting she was Henry's mother because Mary Margaret needed to believe blood trumped everything. Therefore, no matter how she treated Emma, somehow Emma would always come back. Emma was not sure how long that would work, especially after Neverland.

"Lemme get my book bag." Henry rushed off. He obviously wanted to see his mom.

"Emma, think about this. I mean, do you really want Henry around Regina right now? She almost killed two people last night," David said.

"I have thought about this. Regina is the reason we all still have Henry in our lives, so I'm not going to keep her from seeing him. Plus, she's his mom and I can't try to replace her just because I gave birth to him. I've got earn the right to call myself his mom." Emma understood this now. She could not just bulldoze her way into Henry's life and pretend everything was fine. This was what her parents did and everything was not fine.

"You are his mother," Mary Margaret said, like that somehow made it more true than it was a second ago.

"And Neal is his father?" Emma asked. If they thought this, then she knew they would never actually respect Regina as Henry's parent. Making a child did not make one a parent. Hell, even housing a child did not make one a parent.

"Of course," David chimed in.

"Even though he just met Henry? Even though he abandoned me in prison and never seemed to think about me again, never mind the son he had?" Emma inquired, whole body tense just remembering what he did. Sometimes, she had nightmares about it and the sound of anything closing loudly made her jump.

Her parents did not seem to take into consider what Neal had actually done. They also seemed to forget back when Neal showed up here, he was actually engaged. Sure, she was an asshole who tried to kill him, but Neal had moved on with his life after letting her go to prison for him. She had been expendable, their son had been expendable, and the plans they made had been expendable.

"He didn't know and he was trying to get you to come here," David replied.

Emma scowled. She figured if anyone should be outraged for her, her father should. Neal knocked her up at seventeen and left her to go jail for him, but her father was cool with it because he thought Neal was pushing her to come here? Of course, this made sense. Why should it matter what happened to her as long as she got here and broke their stupid curse? _Two objects sat in a room…_ She was just an object. The Savior was a thing, not her.

"Are you fucking kidding me?" Emma was about to explode, but Henry saved his grandparents a verbal thrashing. She would leave her parents to their delusions if those things made them comfortable, if that let them survive. They could pretend it was all still status quo to keep their little world from caving in on itself, but it would not solve anything.

"Ready to go!" Henry called as he charged down the stairs. Emma had never been so happy to leave. She texted Neal to let him know they were on the way. He seemed surprised by this and he should be. It was not like she wanted to see him.

-8-8-8-8-

Neal finished getting dressed as soon as Emma texted him. He smiled when she saw fit to let him know Regina was okay with him coming and Regina cooked breakfast. He was about to get a chance to sit down to a meal with his son and his sister. Maybe life would be all right, even if he could not get Emma to at least forgive him, not that it would keep him from trying to get her to forgive him. There was a knock at the door, distracting him from those thoughts.

"Damn, Emma that was—" He stopped talking and a frown conquered his face as he stared at his father. "What do you want?"

"Might I be able to come in?" he asked, glancing around the room.

"No." Neal shut the door to the point where only his face was visible. He was tempted to slam the door closed altogether and move on with his life. How dare his father show up here like everything was all right, like he had not lied to Neal's face last night, and like he had not crushed Regina's entire life for nothing?

For a moment, Rumple's eyes went wide and he winced, but he quickly covered it up. "Fair enough. Can we talk?"

"Like we talked before? Where you told me Regina was just bitter over this not being her Happy Ending? Let's get this straight, I don't want anything to do with you. It's one thing to pick your power over me or to even be so arrogant to think you could come find me, keep your powers, and we'd somehow pick up like everything was fine. It's another thing entirely for you to lie to my face about who Regina is and what you did to her."

"Bae—"

Neal cut him off with a growl. "My name is Neal and that's it. I don't want to hear any more from you." He wished there was some way for him to hurt Rumple physically, just to give him a fraction of the pain he caused.

His father had the nerve to square his shoulders, like he had not done everything wrong. "I didn't hurt Regina. She made her own choices."

Neal snorted and rolled his eyes. "Oh, yeah, you had nothing to do with it. I'm sure you didn't influence anything that happened to her or any of the decisions she made. Beyond that, even if what you said was the case, you're her father and you should've helped her make better decisions. Stay the hell away from her, me, and Henry. We don't need you in our lives."

"Bae—" He slammed the door in Rumple's face. He did not need this man in his life. He had already turned into his father more than he liked. It was time to try to change.

-8-8-8-8-

Next time: a family meal leads to family research.


	7. Up in Smoke

I don't own these characters.

7: Up in Smoke

Regina could hardly admit to herself that she liked having breakfast with her… family. When they showed up, they were all smiling, as if they were happy to see her, including Henry. He hugged her so tightly and her heart melted in his arms. Words failed her for too long, but she reveled in his embrace. She inhaled him, wanting to hold onto every bit of him.

"I'm sorry about last night," Regina said immediately. Henry hummed and hugged her tighter, like this was a proper response. It was good enough for her.

"Smells good in here," Emma said, as if Henry might hug his mother all day if someone did not interfere. Regina would not have cared.

"I've made breakfast. Come on. The table is set." Regina motioned to the dining room and they moved. Henry stayed by her side.

"Whoa! Who were you planning to feed? The whole town?" Neal asked, licking his lips.

She might have gone a little overboard, but it had allowed her to calm down enough to not want to murder Snow and the shepherd, so surely Emma and Henry would appreciate that. Cinnamon pancakes, waffles, fruit salad, egg white omelets with tomatoes and spinach, bacon, sausage, and apple turnovers. Henry and Emma did not seem to mind the turnovers, pulling up to the table and feasting. Neal followed right behind them.

"This is awesome, Mom!" Henry piled pancakes onto his plate. By his main plate, he had another plate with an omelet and several slices of bacon.

"Yeah." Neal nodded, his mouthful of waffle. There was a dribble of syrup on the side of his mouth, which he caught with a sausage and then devoured the piece of meat.

"What they said." Emma shoveled pancakes into her mouth. Her plate was loaded with everything, except waffles, and drowning in syrup.

Regina managed a small smile, sitting at the head of the table and just watching them go. She would not mind making lunch and dinner for this lot. They all looked quite content with a proper meal, eyes shining and nothing but smiles. Henry could probably appreciate this a whole lot more after living with Charming and then being kidnapped by Pan. Emma and Neal looked like they had been wandering in the desert for years as they attacked their food. For several minutes, they all just sat there and enjoyed the image before them.

It was almost like family, like a real family. No fear, no loneliness, no longing. Was this not something they all probably yearned for? The thought hurt a little, knowing she had not been real family for Henry. She finally understood this was her fault, lying to him and trying to twist his thoughts to protect a Curse that she had been twisted to cast. She had to accept this, or she would be no better than her mother or Rumple. She would spend the rest of her life making it up to him if he allowed her.

"So, we're gonna talk, right?" Henry, ever the brave boy, asked. He paused and looked around at the adults for a response.

"Yeah, we should," Emma agreed.

Regina sighed. "What should we talk about?" There was so much to cover. One breakfast might not be able to handle it.

"Is that black smoke coming off of you hurting you?" Henry chimed in quickly.

Regina blinked. He was worried over her? Looking in his eyes, she could see the concern. Had she misjudge him? It looked that way.

"It's… not painful," Regina answered, not wanting to lie to him, but also not wanting to worry him more. It did not physically hurt. It just made her feel odd in her own skin. It was like she was new to this body and this was very off putting.

"Is it messing with you?" Henry pressed. He put down his fork for a second, focusing solely on her.

Regina's brow furrowed as she thought on this and she absently hugged herself for a moment. "I'm not sure what you mean by that. It's bothering me in the sense that I do not feel like I have control of myself as I used to."

"Is that why you blew up _Granny's_?"

Regina nodded. "Partly, yes. I do not have much control over this, even now."

Henry studied her, tilting his head. "What is it?" He reached over, like he would touch it and then thought better. She was pleased that he did. She was not sure what could happen with this and did not want to risk hurting Henry.

Regina looked down at herself. The dark fumes were not as heavy as they had been last night. "I'm not quite sure. It's magic, my magic, but different from my magic."

Henry nodded and rubbed his chin in thought. "Did that happen because of Neverland?"

"Neverland unlocked it, yes," Regina answered.

"We're going to fix it," Emma promised, jumping into save Regina yet again.

"Yeah, kid, we'll fix it," Neal chimed in. He smiled at Regina. Emma rolled her eyes.

Henry blinked. "You're going to help? Even though Mom tried to kill you last night?"

"We got it all worked out," Neal replied with another smile. He then went back to work on his waffles and sausage.

"Maybe we should tell the kid," Emma said, looking at Regina.

"Tell me what?" Henry asked, looking from Regina to Emma and back.

"Well, yes, now we have to tell him or he'll never let us hear the end of it," Regina replied. Of course, it did not make any sense to keep this from him.

Henry scowled. "Are you still hiding stuff from me?" He looked accusingly between her and Emma now. They might never live down lying to him.

Regina waved him off. "Not really. It's a fact we've only just learned and it's something we should work through before involving you."

"Well, now, I'm involved, so now you can tell me," Henry demanded, making two tight fists.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa." Emma held up her hand to stop him. "Okay, look, I get it, you don't like people lying to you and everything, but that's not how you ask for stuff."

Regina was a little impressed by this bit of discipline. Maybe Emma had finally realized to be a true parent to Henry, she could not also be his irresponsible friend. _What could've brought that change on?_ Regina glanced at Neal.

Henry frowned and stared down at his food momentarily, pushing a pancake around with his fork. "Sorry. But, what happened?" he asked in a mumble.

"Well, kid, me and your mom." Neal paused and pointed to Regina and then to himself. "We found out something weird about us."

Henry looked back and forth between them with a wrinkled forehead and scrunched up face. "What?"

"We're siblings," Regina answered.

Henry's eyes grew huge. "You're what?" His mouth fell open.

"Siblings. His father is apparently my biological father," Regina said. This would be something Henry could appreciate, but possibly take the wrong way. After all, he seemed to think blood was best. She had learned early on blood meant nothing to some people. She would take Prince Henry over any blood relative she ever had, including the one at the table with her.

Henry shook his head. "Wait, wait, wait, wait." He had to put his fork down again and he leaned on the table, looking back and forth between them again. "You just found out you have the same father? And that father is Gold?" He stared intensely at them, brow furrowed more with his eyebrows almost touching with how close they were knitted together.

"That's right," Neal confirmed.

Henry shook his head again and squinted as he focused on Regina. "But, your crypt, Mom. Isn't that your dad? You used to take me there all the time. You said that was your dad and I was named after him, the best man you ever knew." He sounded a little frantic, but not like he thought Regina had lied to him, which she supposed was good. It was more like he did not understand, like none of this made sense.

"All of that is very true, Henry. My father is buried in the crypt. You're named for my daddy, the best man I ever knew," Regina stated strongly, folding her hands in front of her. Her heart fluttered a little at the thought of her daddy. There had never been a better man in her life, except maybe Daniel and Henry carried his name as well. "Your grandfather is the only person to stick by my side and try to help me when I needed it." Well, when she needed it as an adult anyway.

Henry nodded and his eyes fell to the table for a moment, trying to collect his thoughts. "So… what does all this mean? My dad is my uncle, too?"

Regina frowned. Maybe Henry would never understand what a true parent was and maybe she should be happy about that. She had raised him with enough shelter for him to not grasp these painful things. But, then again, maybe he was so wronged by her that he could not see how blood did not matter. His grandparents undoubtedly helped push this idea whenever they were near him.

"It means your mom and I are siblings. We can work out other details as we go," Neal replied.

Regina blinked. She had not expected that of him. Before, it seemed like he was ready to push himself into this role of "Henry's dad" regardless of how she or Emma felt about it. Something changed. Maybe he realized the gravity of what was happening or maybe he truly did want a family and knew he could not force his way into it like he had.

"Okay." Henry nodded and picked up his fork once more, but he did not eat. "Does this black smoke have to do with you being the Dark One's kid? I mean, is this like pure Darkness coming off of you?"

Regina shook her head. "I'm not entirely sure. I've tried researching it. I think it is some inherited dark magic mixing poorly with some other magic." Her "divine" ichor possibly did not like mingling with the Dark One's blood. Or it could be Neverland corrupted her magic. She was not quite sure and there were plenty of possibilities and explanations for what was happening. "I'll research some more when we're done and, hopefully, understand things a bit better."

"I'll help," Emma offered and shoved some more food in her mouth.

Regina arched an eyebrow. "Are you sure?" There was a lot of reading involved and she did not imagine Emma to be the type.

Emma swallowed her food and then snorted. "I wouldn't offer if I wasn't sure. I got this."

"Can't you ask the Blue Fairy for help?" Henry asked.

"No!" This response shocked him enough to jump in his seat. The fact that all three of them said it seemed to keep him from inquiring about their reaction.

"Can I help, too, then? I want to help you get back to normal," Henry said.

"I'll see. Many of my books are difficult," Regina replied. The histories on the Dark One were all in Elven. She would have to teach Emma how to read it, though. Hell, she would have to teach Emma to control her magic even more so because someone would need to check her when this power grew out of control. _When…_ Yes, she knew it was coming, could feel it wiggling just under her skin.

"We can help," Neal chimed in, putting his head up high.

Regina nodded. It was possible Neal could read Elven. He had studied the Dark One, he claimed. Four sets of eyes were better than one and Regina needed the rush. Just underneath her skin, she could feel this power scratching, but it would not take much for the scratch to turn into a tear, which could easily become a shredding.

"Um… what about us?" Henry asked, motioning around the table. "I mean, we're all here now. And, staying, right?" He glanced at Neal.

Neal nodded. "I'm here to stay. I got you and now I got a sister to look after and I still owe a lot to Emma."

Regina frowned at this. He seemed like he was trying to be a good brother already, which she appreciated, but it was a little suspicious. Or maybe it was just in her nature to suspect things.

She also did not appreciate his interest in Emma. Emma deserved better than some coward who left her to rot in prison while carrying their son. She would make sure Emma held onto that and did not forgive him so easily for his careless disregard of her. Brother or no, she would put Emma before him.

"We'll figure it out," Emma said with annoying optimism. She should know the amount of work it took to make a family work. They could not just hope everything fell into place. After all, that was what Snow and David seemed to think would happen and little did they know they were pushing their daughter away.

"Yeah?" Henry sounded so hopeful.

Emma nodded. "Once all of the excitement dies down, we'll figure this all out. Let's work on one thing at a time, though. Your mom definitely needs to clear this up before she kills us all from second-hand smoke." She shot Regina a grin.

Regina just rolled her eyes, even though her situation was probably more immediate than their family situation for the sheer fact that she could lose it at any moment and lay waste to everything. "Fine. When we're done here, I'll fetch my books and we can make camp in the living room."

"Done? You're not going to throw this all away, right?" Neal asked, eyes scanning the table as if looking for items he wanted to keep.

"Yeah," Emma agreed with a worried look. "If you just leave it out, we'll take care of it throughout the day." She pointed to herself and then Neal.

Regina said nothing to this, but she would leave the food out for them. This was probably something from living on the streets, and living in horrible foster homes for Emma. If they were all serious about this thing they had, then she would show them proper meals as they felt their way through being a family.

Once everyone had eaten their fill, Neal, Emma, and Henry retreated to the living room. Regina transported to her crypt for her research books. She placed them through a portal of her own creation as she inspected each, finding them acceptable and relevant to this search. She also took her mother's journals, wanting to find out how much her mother might have known about their ancestry and what effects she might have discovered. _How close is our bloodline to the goddess Lilith?_ Regina suspected it had to very close considering the force clawing at her.

"That's a lot of books," Neal mumbled, standing in the middle of the living room. He looked at the piles. He blew out a long breath and scratched the back of his head.

"It is, but you want to help, right?" Regina asked with an arched eyebrow. _Let's see how he actually does research_.

"Yeah. So, what are we looking at or looking for?" Neal eyed the stacks again.

"Right now, I would start with the effects of Neverland on latent magical abilities for both me and Emma." They did not need to find Emma climbing the walls over her magic later if this was something Neverland just did to people.

Emma yelped. "Oh, wow. You think?"

"It's possible. You can look for effects of the Dark One's powers on their offspring. Not the offspring they had as human, but once they became the Dark One," Regina continued.

"You mean there's more than one Dark One?" Henry asked, making himself comfortable on the floor with his back against the couch.

"Of course." Regina patted a pile of books. "No one touch these. They're my mother's journals. I will handle these."

"Anything else we should look for?" Emma inquired.

"The mixing of a god's blood with any dark creature." Regina doubted this would yield much. Darkness was something that could be argued. From her own magic, she knew dark magic to be selfish intent. Just because regular people perceived a creature as dark, that did not make it so. Still, they needed something.

"That's a lot of searches, but at least they're somewhat narrow," Neal said. Henry had already picked up a book and started reading. Hopefully, the phrasing would not trouble him too much, as language here in the modern United States was quite different from the language in the Enchanted Forest, especially the written word.

"I'll join you briefly. I need to wash the dishes from breakfast," Regina said. She had washed some while she cooked, but not all. Beyond that, she wanted to straighten up the table somewhat. She could not stand the thought of leaving a mess.

"That makes sense. You're only about to be possessed by an evil force, but please, do the dishes first," Emma remarked with what had to be a teasing glint in her eyes.

"You didn't complain when I decided to cook first," Regina countered.

"And if I ever do, assume I've been possessed," Emma grinned.

Regina snickered as she left. "Emma, can you join me for just a moment?"

Emma nodded and glanced at the fellows before following Regina to the kitchen. Regina went to the counter and grabbed a Tupperware container. Taking a deep breath, she turned to present it to Emma.

"What's this?" Emma asked with a scrunched up face.

"Well, since you don't want me to kill your parents, I decided to show my appreciation in other ways," Regina replied.

Emma let out a laugh so awkward Regina paused for a second. Then, she realized the laugh was not for the gift, but the fact that she brought up killing Snow and the shepherd again. _I have to cease doing that_. _It is not a favor in her eyes and I should know better_.

"What is it?" Emma took the bowl.

Regina smiled and folded her arms across her chest. "Something you'll like."

Emma popped it open and her eyes lit up like it was Christmas morning. "Holy shit! You made me donut holes? You are so awesome!"

Regina smirked a little and squared her shoulders, feeling pretty good about herself. Emma grinned at her and stepped over, like she was about to hug Regina, but held off. Regina accepted that and Emma bounced on her heels.

"Okay, I'm going to leave these in here, so Neal doesn't steal any. Don't tell him about it, okay?" Emma eased the bowl on the counter.

"They're only for you, so I won't tell anyone."

"Thank you so much, Regina. No one's ever done anything like that for me."

Regina waved it off. Emma giggled and blushed when she realized the sound that came out of her mouth. "Uh… I should go start researching." Emma jabbed her thumb toward the living room and rushed off.

Regina sighed as soon as Emma was out of sight. She did not mind Emma running off, trying to save face. Beyond the dishes, she needed a moment alone. Her house had never seen so much company, real company. She was not sure how to handle what was happening. It was a good thing to be sure, but good things never lasted. Good things were for other people, not her, not Emma, and not even Neal. Hell, she feared Henry might have inherited their karma and he was starting down a path of misery and woe.

Shaking that thought away, she moved to the dining room and stacked plates that she was able to on the table. She took empty platters to the sink. There were dishes soaking already. She hoped this mindless activity would prove enough of a distraction and she also hoped no one in the living room bothered to check on her.

"All that power at your fingertips and you still do the dishes by hand?" Rumple asked as he appeared right next her. He had the nerve to giggle.

Regina quickly stepped away from him and glared at him. "What the hell do you think you're doing here?"

"Why, I'm here to see you, of course." He smiled at her, looking very much like the crocodile Hook accused him of being.

"Why the hell would you want to see me? Haven't you already done enough? Sentence me to a fate worse than death, help murder my own mother, mock me for my son finding his birth family, torment with the idea that my son might one day deign to invite to dinner with his favored family, and end up completely useless when my son is kidnapped by your murderous father," she pointed out, glaring at him. She could feel power flaring up inside of her.

If she reached out right now, she could dig into the Dark One's chest, grasp his black heart, and crumble it, delighting in the ash as it fluttered through her fingers. _No, you can't kill Henry's grandfather, Neal's father. That's no way to start a new relationship or revive one_. Still, something pulsed inside of her to utterly defile Rumple's body, but she fought it down.

He tittered a bit, but he sounded a little nervous. "Oh, Regina, I've seen you escape tougher spots than the wraith. And, we both know you wanted your mother dead. When did you become so sensitive?"

"Probably born that way. Possibly genetic," she deadpanned. _I should find out if Neal wants this gnat to live. Then, the next time I see him, I can put him out of all of our misery_. Then, she remembered Henry would never approve of this, grandfather or not.

His smile finally went away. "Regina, do you honestly think—"

"Spare me whatever lie you're about to tell me," she hissed, waving a hand at him.

Touching his chest, he had the nerve to look innocent. "Why would I lie? It's all come out now."

"Has it?" She glared him down, feeling so much power tear at her, wanting to tear through him. She was not sure how she managed to keep it at bay. "I wouldn't be surprised by anything right now. Listen, you got what you wanted. I lost everything and casted your precious Curse, so you could go find you son, who doesn't want you. And, do you know why, Rumple? It's because you're a selfish, heartless bastard." It felt so good to say that to him, knowing it cut into him, even if he did not show it.

"No more than you and I'm not selfish at all. I brought you here for a reason, Regina." His voice was low, calm, almost like he wanted to be reasonable.

She scoffed through her nose. "I'm sure you did. You've plotted every step of my life. I'm sure you're somehow the reason I met Daniel, only so I could watch my mother murder him right before my eyes."

Rumple's face scrunched up a little. "You would blame me for your mother's actions? You know your mother had her own plans for you, none of which were for your own good."

Regina rolled her eyes. "Oh, and you wanted to do something for my own good?" Did he really think she was so stupid that she would believe anything that came out of his lying mouth?

"I knew you would never find your Happy Ending in the Enchanted Forest. I have the gift of sight and I foresaw your Happy Ending lie in this world without magic," Rumple said.

She snorted. "You turned me into a monster for my own good?" _He really does think I'm stupid_.

He narrowed his eyes as he watched her. "Is that what you told Bae? That _I_ turned you into a monster? You made your own decisions, Regina."

"I did, but who guided me? If left to my own devices, would I have done any of that?" This was why he was here. He was upset Neal knew the truth and now he wanted to try to smooth things over, so he could somehow keep his son. She laughed in his face.

Rumple stepped closer to her, but suddenly stopped. He gnashed his teeth at her and tried to glare her into submission. His look did not faze her. She was tempted to match his glower just to watch him flinch for once, but it was unnecessary. This whole visit was his flinch.

"You know what you would've become. You can feel it scratching just under your skin. That's what you are, what you have always been, what you will always be. Nothing more than a demon, little more than a ravenous beast baying for blood," Rumple stated.

"Liar!" she roared and the kitchen was shrouded in onyx clouds. She had not always been this beast thirsting for blood. She had been young and innocent once with a desire to do good until a heart was crushed in front of her. Until a body hit the floor. Until she learned there was no escape. Until she had been told to perform her wifely duties. Until she knew she would never see _him_ again. Until she knew the world would continue to push her until she pushed back.

"Embrace it, Regina, and thank me for giving you such power, along with ensuring you got your Happy Ending," he had the nerve to say.

"My Happy Ending?" She looked at him as if he were madder than the Hatter, which he had to be. There was nothing happy about this and there never would be. The house shook as fury flooded her. "You think I'm happy to feel like I'm coming apart at the seams? What the hell is there to be happy about?"

He dared to smirk at her. "You have your son, do you not?"

"You even engineered that as part of your master plan. You knew I would raise him, love him, and he would be snatched from me like everything else in life! I'm nothing more than some toy you've enjoyed playing, over and over again!"

"What the hell is going on in here?" Emma called as she and Neal charged in.

"Papa, I told you to stay the hell away from Regina!" Neal growled and he made a fist.

This outburst surprised Regina. Neal seriously sought to look out for her. He was serious about being her brother, even to forsake the father he seemed so ready to forgive in Neverland. She had good people with her.

"I'm only trying to set the record straight. I don't want Regina to think she can somehow change into something she's not," Rumple remarked.

"You made me this way!" Regina screamed and then she heard an explosion. The world grew dark and she was unsure of what happened. She was not sure if she lost consciousness or if she just zoned out, but it felt like she was no longer there. When she came to, the kitchen was in shambles, like a bomb had gone off.

"Regina," Emma sighed. She was cradling Regina close to her chest and they were on the floor, surrounded by rubble and frost.

Regina groaned and rubbed her forehead. "What happened?" She felt like someone had hit her in the head with a metal pipe.

"You went supernova and blew up the kitchen."

"Did I kill Rumple?" That would make this a blessing, even if she had to clean the whole thing up.

"I don't think so, but you almost killed Neal. Think you can help him?" Emma pointed across from them.

Neal was propped up against what was left of the kitchen counter. Blood dripped from his head, but the more pressing matter was the sharp shard of ice-covered marble buried in his right shoulder. Her brother. Did she kill her brother on the first day of having a brother? Ah, what a miserable existence this was.

"Is he alive?" Regina asked, her voice small, young, scared.

"He was just talking to me a few seconds ago," Emma replied.

Regina took a breath and staggered to her feet. Just standing up made her head rush, but she shook a dizzy feeling off. She practically fell over to Neal. He groaned as she landed by his side, but he did not appear to be conscious. His breathing was shallow and she felt his pulse, finding it faint. His lips were almost purple and his skin had a blue tint.

When she yanked the marble out of his shoulder and he did not make a sound, it was safe to bet he was unconscious or dead. Once she healed his wounds and he started snoring, it would appear he was the former. She warmed him a little, but felt it was best for his body to do that work.

Regina turned her attention back to Emma. "Is Henry all right?"

"Yeah, you just blew up the kitchen. Henry ran in after it was done. He went off to get help, though," Emma replied as she stood up. She looked fairly good for someone caught in an explosion, especially considering how Neal looked.

"Of course he did." The last thing she needed was for more people to see her lack of magic control… or impulse control. "He left before you could stop him?"

"Well, you were unconscious and I wasn't sure if we needed help or not, so I just let him go."

Regina groaned. "Of course you did."

"Regina, what just happened?"

"I got angry and the magic… it sort of needed out," Regina replied as best she could. She just recalled being so pissed at Rumple and then she was in Emma's arms.

Emma sighed and scratched her head. "We need to seriously figure out how to beat this before it gets out of hand."

Regina did not want to admit it, but it might already be out of hand. It might have been out of hand from the very beginning. She had to consciously stop herself from killing Neal last night and she had only gotten distracted with Blue. This was enough to kill Rumple if his reaction time was just a little slower and she had not even thought about this one. Her magic just reacted.

"Emma, are you all right?" Regina asked, giving Emma a thorough inspection. No matter how hard she looked, she could not see any injuries, which did not make any sense to her.

Emma looked down at herself, as if she needed to check. "Yeah. I know this might sound crazy, but my magic sort of jump-started with yours, so when you blew up the kitchen, a shield just came up and protected me."

This did not surprise her. Their magicks were connected, almost intertwined. But, was it the same with Rumple? Was that why he was able to escape? Was he able to sense her magic just from being her sire? Those questions would have to remain unanswered as she heard Henry return with help. Time to be further annoyed.

"If those are your parents at the door, you have to deal with them," Regina said.

Emma gasped, her eyes wide and her mouth gapping. "Why me?"

"You're the one who let Henry go for help."

Emma wisely did not argue that. "You know what. I'll just go out there and get rid of them. You can stay with…" She motioned to Neal.

Regina was fine with that. She did not want to see anyone beyond those she had breakfast with. Besides, Neal might need her when he woke up.

-8-8-8-8-

Emma smiled at she marched out to the foyer where Henry was with his grandparents and Ruby. There was worse help. He could have shown up with Blue, after all. Emma just wanted to work quickly to get rid of them.

"Emma, are you all right?" Mary Margaret asked, rushing over to her. "I knew coming over here was a bad idea!"

Emma scowled. What the hell kind of thing was that to say, especially in front of the kid? It was not a bad idea for Henry to see his mother. Not every idea she had was a bad one, as her parents seemed to think.

"I'm all right. We're all fine, actually. You can go back home," Emma dismissed them.

Henry's face scrunched up. "Everything's fine? Even the kitchen?"

"Yes, everything's fine. We handled it," Emma stated. She wanted her parents to understand she could handle things without them second-guessing her or trying to hold her hand until it was inconvenient. She was a competent adult.

"Are you sure? We can—" David said, but Ruby saved the day.

"We can get going because Emma has this under control, apparently." Ruby gave her a wink.

Emma finally smiled. Ruby would always be a lifesaver. She seemed to understand things so much better than most other people around Storybrooke. Ruby quickly ushered the Charmings out of the house and closed the door. Emma breathed a sigh of relief, but that was short-lived.

Emma wondered if her mother told Ruby and that was why Ruby showed up with them to help. Ruby did not seem alarmed by Regina if she knew. But, then again, Ruby seemed to understand the basic concept of a secret. Emma did not have much time to contemplate this as Henry broke her train of thought.

"Is everything really fine?" Henry asked with a suspicious eyebrow raised.

"Yeah, everything's really fine. Your mother freaked out when Rumple appeared in the kitchen and her powers reacted badly," Emma explained.

Henry blew out a breath. "Is he still there?"

"No, he probably got away when she pretty much literally blew up."

For a second, he was quiet and lines seemed to instantly appear under his eyes. "We need to find a way to help her quick, huh?"

"Yeah. So, let's get to it."

Henry nodded and they rushed back to the piles of books. Regina had moved Neal to the couch in that time. Regina's powers continued to pour of her in the form of onyx fumes. They were heavier than at breakfast and the room was a little nippy. They definitely needed to find a way to help her soon. Henry went right to a book without a word and Emma did the same. Regina watched them for a moment and then got to work as well.

-8-8-8-8-

Next time: more family time as these four try to adjust to each other and help Regina.


	8. Playing with Fire

I don't own these characters.

8: Playing with Fire

Researching was not going as well as Regina had hoped. Henry looked lost as he buried his head in yet another book that seemed to spell her doom, or further descent into evil. Of course, she had already been buried very deep in darkness and was well acquainted with corruption, but he seemed to think she was well on her way for something much worse. Every now and then, she caught him glancing at her with stricken eyes, like she was a caterpillar of destruction on her way to be a butterfly of the apocalypse.

At opposite ends of the living room, showing rather impressive research abilities, Emma and Neal shared similar expressions. They hid it a little better, mostly because they left the room and went to finish off the breakfast leftovers whenever they noticed she noticed. She could hear Rumple echoing in her mind, calling her a demon in each exchange. The worried looks were touching, but also irksome. It made her teeth itch and something wiggled just under her skin. _Demon_.

It was what she was, plain and simple. A demon. The damned. They knew she would eventually lay waste to everything because it was what she was. They understood and so their faces were appropriate.

 _No, no, no. This is good. They care about you. They look like that because they care_. Regina took a breath and slowly let it out, calming a churn in her guts, the burning inside of her. Still, it felt like she might tear apart at the seams as her nerves popped with something she could hardly describe.

"Perhaps I should start lunch," Regina suggested as she rose off of the sofa. It would give them a chance to discuss their fears while she tried to fight down this power wanting to take over.

Neal looked up immediately and his eyes seemed both surprised and hopeful. "Oh, we get lunch, too?"

Emma grinned, rather boastfully oddly enough. "Regina could probably get her own cooking show, right?"

Regina rolled her eyes. "Lunch won't be so elaborate. After all, you both have been gorging yourself on the remains of breakfast for hours now." She did not want them to overeat.

"Can I get a perfect PB&J?" Henry requested with an impish grin. His eyes sparkled and it was almost like he had forgiven her everything.

It made no sense to her. How he could go from cursing her existence to acting like she was his mother again? Of course, she could not understand how he could dismiss her as his mother in the first place. Her mother had done horrible things to her and she had never truly been able to shake Cora off. _People are built differently_. _You know this_. _You were once built differently_. But, this did not help her make sense of Henry.

Emma arched an eyebrow, looking from Henry to Regina. "What the heck is that?"

With a grin, Henry's shoulders bounced as he explained. "It is seriously the perfect peanut butter and jelly sandwich. Mom can make a sandwich that just has the perfect ratio of peanut butter to jelly on a sandwich. It's like eating a piece of heaven, especially once you've had other peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. Once you've tried others, you know this is the perfect sandwich."

"Can I get two of those?" Emma entreated with big, puppy eyes, pressing her hands together like a beggar child.

"Two? You just ate the equivalent of second breakfast and brunch," Regina pointed out. Again, she did not want them to overeat. It was probably a good thing she blew up the donut holes, which Emma would view it as a tragedy when she realized what happened.

Emma snickered. "You know about second breakfast?" And then she blinked and looked utterly serious. "Wait, are hobbits a real thing?"

Regina just smiled at her and then turned her attention to Neal. "Two for you as well?" It had been an eventful morning, so it was possible they worked up appetites again.

Neal smiled. "Sounds good."

Regina nodded and went off to the kitchen. While she was still in earshot, she heard Henry tell them, "She makes her own jam. It's, like, the best thing ever." This brought a real smile to her face. She had not lost her son… yet. _I need to keep this flood of power at bay to make sure that doesn't happen_.

She turned her attention to the kitchen, which she had repaired with her magic. It had not felt like the best idea, her magic clawing deep in her, but she needed a kitchen. Plus, she did not need the entire backside of her house blown open. Beyond that, she wanted things to look relatively normal when Henry had come back with help after she exploded the kitchen. Thankfully, none of the "help," stuck around once they saw everything looked relatively normal. She knew it helped that Emma talked to them and had assured them everything was fine.

She also knew Snow had been close to giving Emma a hard time for coming to Regina's house. She had not said anything, but watched the exchange as best she could while watching over Neal. It had taken a lot to control herself, especially since her new powers very much liked the idea of killing Emma's parents, even though Emma did not like the idea and would not appreciate it.

Seeing the Charmings had annoyed her, but she managed to push it down once they finally left. She was certain if they had stayed for few moments more, she would have had to redo the kitchen again. She could just sense how upset they made Emma simply standing before and it made Regina itch. If nothing else, she wanted to use these new talents to protect Emma. Emma, who protected her more often than she probably deserved at this point, and seemed ready to go well over above and beyond for her.

Of course, Regina could hardly understand this. She never understood much of Emma, but now, it did not matter now. She had decided, as well as her powers, that Emma was on the short list of people who she would do her best to take care of in any way possible. Oddly enough, this thought made her magic flare up in her belly for a moment.

"Careful. Don't want the kitchen to go up again and bring back the two idiots," Regina reminded herself.

From what Regina could tell, this power was just part of her. She would have to learn to control it soon and since magic was linked with emotion, she would have to learn to control her emotions. It was hard because it felt like the small amount of impulse control she had was slipping away from her.

"You can do it. You can do it. You can do it," she assured herself as she moved about the kitchen.

She had to do it, if she wanted to keep Henry. She owed it to him. Hell, she owed it to Emma, who had saved her life twice, as if she saw something inside of Regina worth saving. And, now she had this brother, who might actually want to be a brother to her, who stood up to the Dark One for her.

Beyond all of that, there was no way she could trust any of them to their own devices; history had proven this. They needed her as much as she needed them. _So, control it. Control yourself_. _You are still you_. _The same person you were before all of this_. _You are you_. _Do not ruin this as you have done everything else_.

-8-8-8-8-

With her back literally against the wall, Emma sighed and rubbed her face, easing a book to rest on her knee. She was used to researching from her stint as a bounty hunter. She needed to know who she was looking for, after all, what the person was capable, and be able to formulate a plan to capture the person. She needed to be able to anticipate where a bounty might be and what sort of threat the person posed. Right now, their research had her worried.

The smell of the old books and moldy pages made her stomach turn and she knew it would haunt her for the rest of her life if they could not help Regina. The aroma represented failure, terror, and loss. She tried to shake those thought away. _We'll help her_. _There has to be a way_. _There's always a way, especially with fucking magic_.

"Neverland does weird things to people with magic," Henry said, eyes glued to his book. His voice sounded small, distant, so different from the kid who just described the perfect sandwich to them.

"Being the Dark One's kid isn't great on magic either," Neal muttered as he put his book down. He blew out a breath and then rubbed his forehead. Emma could be wrong, but his eyes looked a little wet to her from across the room.

Glancing up, Henry looked at Neal. "You're the Dark One's kid."

"Yeah, but he wasn't the Dark One when I was born. He didn't have any magic when I was born," Neal replied.

"I don't get it. If he's Mom's Dad—" Henry started, but Emma jumped in.

"Don't you dare call him that when she's here," Emma said, almost growling at him. Henry could be careless with his tongue and it would do them no good right now.

Henry blinked a couple of times and then frowned. "That's what he is."

"No, he's not," Emma replied.

She glanced at Neal and then decided it needed to be said. Maybe he and Neal both needed to hear the truth. This would definitely make it easier for them when they sat down to try to figure out how this family would work.

"Raising a child is the thing that makes you a dad. Loving a child is the thing that makes you a dad. Just because you happen to have a kid and you don't do anything for that kid doesn't mean you're a father. It just means you had a kid. Unconditional love and responsibility make you a real parent." Emma wished she could tell her father that. Hell, her mother, too. They had funny ideas as to what made a parent. _At least they aren't half as fucked up as Neal's parents and Regina's parents or the tons of shitty foster parents I've had_. This did not exactly make her feel better, though.

Neal looked down while Henry looked away. Emma knew she should take this to heart as well. She had burst into Regina's life, acting like she was just entitled to Henry because she gave birth to him and because Henry claimed Regina did not love him. But, it had been her experience foster parents were no good, thus adoptive parents were probably the same and it was possible Regina did not love him. Hell, her adoptive parents had returned her. She had fantasized about her birth parents and just figured she was entitled to Henry because birth parents had to be the best type of parents.

And now, Regina proved her wrong and she had her own parents proving her wrong. No, Regina was not the greatest parent ever, but she loved Henry and she was willing to try. Her own parents could not be bothered to try. Her heart sank a little as she thought about her mother planning to stay in Neverland with David or how she was not enough for them and Mary Margaret wanted to raise a child. Her parents did not even care about her life. She shook this away. She needed to focus on Regina. _We need to save Regina_.

"Okay… why did he do this, though? I mean, why did he just let Mom turn into the Evil Queen?" Henry asked in a low voice.

"Henry," Neal said in a surprisingly gentle tone. "You can't rationalize what he does because it never makes sense if you're well adjusted or a good person. He just wanted to use her, so it wasn't so much he _let_ her turn into the Evil Queen. He helped her every step of the way to become that and he didn't care what it did to her."

"Use her to cast the Dark Curse?" Henry inquired with his eyebrows bunched in and his mouth set in a scowl.

Neal glanced at Emma, who gave him a hard look. He had no right to tell Henry anything about Regina beyond this, even if he was part of the story. Neal seemed to get the look, giving her a small nod. He scowled, though.

"Yeah," Neal replied.

"We can help her, right?" Henry asked with big, wet eyes.

Emma smiled. "Of course, kid. It's what we do." He smiled at her and nodded. She hoped like hell she was not lying to him.

"You really love your mom, huh?" Neal asked. Emma glared at him as soon as the question left his mouth.

Henry blinked, like he had not expected that. Then, there was a silence, like he had to consider it. Emma was happy Regina was not around for this. The wait alone would have destroyed her.

"I do," Henry finally said with a nod. Yeah, his voice was strong and all, but it was still painful that he had to think about it.

Before this could get any more agonizing, with Henry prying into things not his business and her realizing just how crappy everyone's parents and childhood was, Regina returned. The sandwiches were on a literal silver platter. Why not? This was Regina, after all.

"You laid out sandwiches on a platter?" Neal just gawked at it as Regina placed the dish on the coffee table. The sandwiches were cut diagonally.

"Yes, some of us weren't raised in a barn," Regina replied.

"Uh, I raised myself," Emma pointed out, just to be annoying.

Regina rolled her eyes. "Proving you should never be left alone with a child. Now, since we're all eating like children, I assume you'd like to drink as them as well. Chocolate milk?" she offered with a haughty smirk.

"You're being obnoxious, but if there is chocolate milk, yes," Emma replied. Regina did not even stick around for the guys' response. Emma smiled at her back.

"She used to make me perfect PB&J with chocolate milk when I was little," Henry offered for no reason. His mouth curled up to one side, almost like a little smile, but not really. This was agonizing for him, obviously, but also somewhat of a relief, too.

Emma managed to keep her mouth shut. She wished she had a mom like that at some point in her life. The closest she got was a crazy woman who hung out with her for a couple of days, was nice to her, and then tried to kill her as far as she could recall. _What the hell made me come in here and think I could just come in and replace someone who makes a perfect peanut butter and jelly sandwich? I didn't even know such a thing could exist._

Neal opened his mouth, but then closed it. He just stared at Henry with a little envy in his eyes. Emma clearly was not the only person who did not know there was a perfect peanut butter and jelly sandwich. Emma was tempted to ask him whatever happened to his mother, but now was not the time.

Regina returned with three large cups of chocolate milk, which Emma would not be surprised if it was called "perfect chocolate milk." It was also a little surprising that Regina used normal mugs rather than putting the drink in crystals goblets or something. The beverages were on a tray, which Regina placed by the sandwiches. Henry picked up a sandwich — there were six — with a napkin and took a huge bite. Neal and Emma followed his lead.

"Holy shit," Emma muttered as the taste hit her tongue. It really was perfect. Henry giggled at the swear word.

The aura around Regina swirled. "Miss Swan!"

Emma ducked her head. "Sorry, sorry, sorry. I just didn't expect it to taste that good." _Damn, the kid wasn't lying! How is this possible?_

"Why? I told you it's perfect," Henry said before taking another bite of his sandwich.

"It really is!" Emma took a huge bite. "I'm not surprised it's apple jelly, but you make it yourself? It's so good!"

Regina did not say anything. She also did not eat anything. She went right back to her books. She had not eaten anything at breakfast either, just sipped a cup of what smelled like peppermint tea. Why was that? Emma would ask later on. For now, she would appreciate this perfect sandwich and then make sure Henry did not lose this woman a second time.

-8-8-8-8-

Regina wanted to make a special dinner for her… family. They had been so enamored with breakfast and fell in love with her lunch. It made her feel… loved, she supposed. She needed to figure out what to make to top breakfast and lunch, something that rang out her appreciation of their devotion in trying to help her, their holding onto hope for her. They poured over books with her all day, after all, and did not seem to like anything they saw. They deserved to be treated.

She scanned the kitchen, looking for something worthwhile. Nothing caught her attention, though. Sighing, she put her hands in her hips. _You know what you have to do_.

She had not been shopping really since giving Henry over to the shepherd. She had allowed winning his love and returning his birth mother to this realm to consume her. She flinched at the thought.

"Wait, has that how the Dark One's blood has been manifesting itself in me? My obsession with Henry and then with getting Emma back, which came right back to Henry anyway?" Regina muttered. Hell, maybe even her thoughts of helping Emma now were all part of the Dark One's blood consuming her brain, making her fixate on Henry and his birth mother.

She shook that thought away. No. She had allowed herself to be coaxed into a destructive sort of selfishness. She had never felt the itch to ruin things until Daniel died and she learned Snow was the cause. She wished she had allowed Snow to die on that horse, but it was not until Rumple whispered in her ear that she scratched the itch. Little did she know, she would tear off bits of herself until she was someone new, _something_ new.

"Focus," she hissed to herself. Dinner. She needed to make a special dinner. "I'm going out," she announced as she returned to the living room. All eyes snapped up to her and were wide, as if she just let them know she planned to raze the town to the ground.

"Going out? Where?" Emma jumped up, her book hitting the floor with a dry thud. Neal and Henry followed suit. They were a distance from each other, but still somehow seemed to be close, together.

For a moment, Regina felt out of place. There was the proper family, staring at her as if she was nuts, but also as if they were worried. Then, she remembered, they _were_ worried. She had an evil vapor coming off of her and was less in control herself now than she had ever been as the Evil Queen and way more powerful. They were worried over the damage she could do, worried she might actually raze the town.

"I'm just going shopping. There's nothing for dinner," Regina replied. It was a normal activity. Surely, she could do it without killing someone.

"We could just go to _Granny's_. It's up and running again, thanks to Tink and her magic. Plus, we all know Tink would love to see you and make sure you're all right. So, we could go there. You don't need to cook every meal," Emma insisted.

"I would rather us have something of substance, especially after being caught in the house all day."

" _Granny's_ has substance."

Regina scoffed. "I don't think someone who practically swallows donuts throughout the day if they were ambrosia knows much about substance. This won't take long."

"We could come," Emma offered, pointing to each of them.

"I do not require babysitting, Miss Swan. I'll be fine. As will the town." Provided no one annoyed her. She figured after demolishing the diner, people should be wise enough to steer clear of her.

"You sure? You blew up the kitchen when Rumple showed up," Neal pointed out and Henry nodded.

"I blew up the kitchen because his lies upset me and his complete lack of responsibility disgusts me. I lost control over the power. I've got it under control now." She held up her hands to display just how small the black aura around her was. "I'm not going to kill anyone while I'm out buying bread." Or so she hoped.

"What if Rumple shows up?" Neal pressed.

Regina's nostrils flared. "I do not believe he buys his own bread." _He has a wench for that, after all_.

"You might need extra hands, though. We all eat like we have hollow legs," Emma said.

"I might actually have a hollow leg," Neal chimed in.

"I've got the car, Emma. The bags go in a shopping cart until I make it to the car. It's fine. It'll be fine," Regina replied. If she could not hold it together simply buying food, then she might be a lost cause and all of this research was for naught.

"Regina…" Emma sighed.

"If I can't perform simple task, then I am no more than the demon he called me," Regina stated, figuring this would get through to Emma. "I am not a demon. It'll be fine."

"I'm not saying you are. I'm just saying you might need help," Emma replied.

"It'll be fine," Regina repeated sternly, as if this made it so.

Emma did not look convinced, but Regina was done arguing. She was not sure if Emma was truly trying to be helpful or if she just felt like Regina could not control herself. Yes, she blew up the kitchen, but Rumple pissed her off. Outside, most people would just avoid her, as they had been doing since the Curse was broken.

"Mom, be safe," Henry implored.

Regina smiled. "It'll be fine."

-8-8-8-8-

And, it was fine until it was not. Regina went to the grocery store on her own. Everyone there stared at her and cleared a path long before she got close, as she assumed they would. She ignored the looks as best she could, but she could feel the magic shifting under her skin, crawling like maggots once again. The dark cloud around her slowly grew. She growled.

"It's fine. Ignore these peasants. It's fine. Ignore them. They're nothing. Ignore them," Regina told herself in a low voice, making it her mantra. It should not bother her. They should not bother her. _Ignore them_. She continued her shopping until the looks turned to whispers, first up and down the aisles and then as she went by.

"Can you believe her? Coming out like she didn't ruin all of our lives?"

"How dare she just walk around like everything's fine? The gall!"

"We should just do everyone a favor and take her out. We used to be knights. We could do it."

"We oughta burn her at the stake."

"Drown her like the dirty rat she is."

"Hang her in front of town hall for everyone to see what happens to witches."

She would like to see them try. She would raze this supermarket to the ground if they dared to approach her. Okay, no. Something like that would be the reason why Emma wanted to accompany her to the store. She did not need a babysitter and these people were beneath her. She did not need to bother with them. So, she continued on her way until someone crashed their shopping cart against her. The clattering sound made her head snap up, glaring at the moron who hit her.

"Watch where you're going," Regina snarled and the onyx waves around her intensified, flaring around her like obsidian flames. It almost reached out to touch the woman, licking at her shopping cart and rotting away the metal while ice formed on the remaining cart.

"Sorry, your Majesty." Her breath hung in the air, a thick cloud, as he lips turned blue. The woman bowed her head and scurried off, like a scared mouse. Her fear smelled intoxicating. Regina wanted more.

"No." Regina shook her head, dispelling a scent that she was certain was all in her mind. It was some mania thanks to the dark magic oozing into her bone marrow, becoming part of her. Okay, maybe it was mistake to come here alone.

Regina looked in the cart, checking to see if she had enough items to make a real dinner. Not hardly. Taking a breath and trying to rein in… something, anything really, she convinced herself that she could keep going. _I'll be fine. I just have to watch my temper, not be short with anyone_. She needed to remain calm. She took several breaths. _In, out. In, out_.

She could control this thing. It did not control her. It was just part of her, but she was in control. She was in control. _I am in control_. So, she pressed on.

There were still looks. There were still whispers. There were still threats and grumbling about what they should do to her. But, the thing that ended up being the straw that broke the camel's back was so simple. She wanted Italian bread and as she entered the aisle, she saw someone take the last loaf of the bread she wanted. She teleported, cart and all, to block the man's getaway. His cart smashed against hers.

"Give me that bread," Regina growled.

He blinked and shook his head. "What?" His breath came out in a puff of white smoke.

"Give me that bread," she said slowly, just to make sure he understood. Her powers swirled around her, destroying items close to them them, reducing everything within a foot of her into black ash.

"Uh…" he hesitated, his teeth chattered together as frost coated what remained of his chart. His eyes were wide, as if they could fall out of his skull, probably shocked that she was about to slaughter him for bread. Well, she wanted it and, therefore, she should have it. It was practically hers.

"Give it to me." The floor beneath them shook as ice formed on it.

"Regina!" Emma came out of nowhere and threw her arm around Regina's shoulders, pulling Regina close. "There you are!" She gave a nervous laugh.

Regina blinked in shock and the floor settled. The onyx aura around her died down just a little as she felt like she was surrounded by warmth. Emma yanked her away before she realized what was happening.

"Miss Swan, unhand me this instant!" Regina growled, trying to shrug Emma's hands off of her.

"In a minute. Look, can you make a list and just let me do the shopping?" Emma requested, a nervous smile on her face.

"I am perfectly capable of shopping!" The store shook. She did not need a babysitter!

"Regina, you almost blew the place up over a loaf of bread. I know you felt it."

Regina scowled, but she did not argue. She could not argue, because even now she could feel this immense power flaring in her. If Emma had not shown up in time, she would have leveled this whole place for a loaf of bread. Huffing, Regina slammed her hands against the handle of the cart, causing it to rattle.

"Fine. You handle it." Regina waved her hand and a shopping list appeared. She practically shoved it at Emma, who was far from offended by this if her patient smile meant anything. Regina was surprised she did not feel the need to slap the stupid smile off of Emma's stupid face.

"Won't take long. You can wait in the car if you want or go home and I'll meet you back," Emma said with a pleasant smile, like she knew it would make it impossible to hate her for what she was doing.

Regina gave Emma a solid glare for good measure. "I'll be in the car." She would have to make sure Emma got everything on the list before they returned home.

Regina turned and left, wishing she had a cape or a long coat to fling with her. _Oh, that can't be good. Next I'll be having an urge to wear up-dos and shoulder pads_. Of course, the idea of leather appealed to her in many ways and she shivered remembering her black pants from the Enchanted Forest. Lost in thought, she was not really watching where she was going as she made her exit. It was then a woman collided with her, knocking her shoulder.

"Watch where you're going," the woman grumbled, obviously not looking either because she would have thought twice to say such nonsense to the Evil Queen, especially to her face.

"You should follow your own advice, dear." Regina shoved her hand into the woman's chest and had no intention of pulling out her heart. After all, she had not used magic to go in there in the first place.

The woman's green eyes went impossibly wide. She gagged and blood poured out of her mouth. Regina smirked as a tingling energy danced down her nerves. She shook the body off of her wrist and flicked some blood from her fingers. The aroma of the blood was so sweet, intoxicating. There was a very satisfying thud and she felt accomplished until someone screamed. Then, she realized she had just murdered a woman for bumping her. Emma would not like this, nor would Henry. _Shit_.

-8-8-8-8-

Next time: the consequences of this.


	9. Demons Surround Me

I don't own these characters.

9: Demons Surround Me

Emma rushed to the front of the store, hearing the screams of terror. _Damn it, what could've happened between the bread aisle and the front door?_ Regina barely had to walk twenty feet to be in the parking lot.

The fact that the roof was still on the store seemed like a good sign, but the frantic motion of people as she moved to the shrieking did not help her optimism. There was a crowd of people gathered around a woman, who stood in a daze, wobbling ever so slightly with a glassy look in her eyes. There were a couple of people at her side, checking on her, holding her up, and dusting her off for whatever reason. Somehow, Emma knew this had to do with Regina, even though she was nowhere in sight. _I can't leave her alone for a minute!_

"What happened?" Emma demanded, flashing her badge rather unnecessarily. Everyone knew she was the sheriff. More importantly, they all knew her as the Savior.

"The Evil Queen!"

"The Evil Queen killed her!"

"The Evil Queen is a murderess!"

"Hang her!"

"Burn her!"

Emma quickly scanned the area for a body. There was no body. Had Regina killed someone and fled with the corpse? It would be a good way to hide evidence. Of course, it would be easier to hide a crime by not committing it in front of about two dozen people.

"Killed who?" Emma asked with a scrunched up face, throwing her hands up a little.

"Her!" Several people pointed to the woman in the middle of their circle. She was the most alive dead person Emma had ever seen.

"Uh… she's not dead," Emma pointed out, making sure to inspect the victim as best she could without touching her. The woman was obviously dazed, but that was far from dead.

"The Queen's arm was in her chest!"

"There was blood everywhere!" None of this explained why the woman was alive now. Or where any of the blood went, but it might explain why a fresh scent of apples hung in the air. It was possible Regina used magic to cover up the odor of blood.

"The Queen killed her and then raised her from the dead for some reason," someone added.

Emma nodded, figuring out what probably happened. Regina probably lost herself for a moment and killed the woman. Once she realized what she had done, she tried to fix the problem. Unfortunately, it was becoming very clear this problem was not going to fix itself and just reversing what she did would not really help. The people were in a frenzy, moving around her, trying to get her to do something.

"So, Sheriff, aren't you going to after the Queen?" a man demanded, having the gall to glare at her.

Emma scratched her head. Yeah, she probably would to get Regina's side of the story and better understand what Regina was going through. Would there be a time when she just killed someone and just left the body in the street? Would there be a time when she just killed everyone? If so, they had to do something before Regina reached that point.

"Okay, wait, what happened?" Emma asked. She wanted to have this straight before she questioned Regina about it.

"The Queen killed her! Go after her!" another man ordered.

"She needs to be hanged!"

"Burn her!"

Emma shook her head. This was not helping. She turned to the victim. "Are you sure she killed you?"

The woman nodded and rubbed her forehead with two fingers. "I accidentally bumped into her and next thing I know, her hand was in my chest." Her fingers trailed down to her heart, caressing the area in an up and down fashion. Her eyes were haunted, wide and unfocused, as she seemed lost in the memory.

"So, she tried to crush your heart?" _I didn't know you could come back from that_.

The woman shook her head. "No, her hand was in my chest. It was like she stabbed me with her hand."

Hazel eyes went wide briefly. That was new and much messier than Regina usually operated. "So, she impaled you with her arm?" For a moment, she pictured tiny Regina with her arm shoved in this woman's chest.

"Yeah and I got really cold fast and I couldn't breath and she dropped me. I don't think I actually died, but then she healed me as soon as I was on the floor and vanished."

Emma nodded. _Okay, so Regina's not totally out of control, but this is still serious. How long until she kills people and doesn't bother to heal them or until she doesn't care who it is?_ This whole situation was fucked up and she hated Gold and fucking Pan for doing this to Regina.

"Okay. Everybody stay calm. I'm going to go talk to Regina," Emma announced, holding her hands up try to keep everyone calm.

"We don't need anyone to talk to her! We need her executed!" There was a roar of approval.

"Hanging's too good for the likes of her!"

"Burn her!" Someone really wanted to roast marshmallows over Regina's body.

Oh, great. Now, she would have to find Regina and deal with an angry mob. Wait, people had cell phones and it was possible they had called and texts this to friends. There might already be a mob headed toward Regina's house. Or ever worse, a lynch mob might be there already with their son inside.

"I'm leaving now," Emma told them, if only to postpone them forming a mob. Now, she needed to get back home to make sure there was not a murderous mob already gathering outside of Regina's house. If she had a spare moment, she was going to punch Gold in the face for doing all of this.

-8-8-8-8-

Regina took a breath as she paced in the foyer, having teleported into the house less than a minute ago. Her magic felt like it was clawing its way out of her, swirling around inside of her like an out of control like a high level tornado, and driving her mad as it did so. Everything was hazy, fuzzy around the edges, and she was certain she was about to fly apart at the seams.

The grocery store was definitely an overreaction that would have been more expected to the Evil Queen than of her. And even the Evil Queen would have been a little civilized and used magic rather than going in bare handed to slay someone. She had even felt a spark of joy for a brief moment while her hand was in the woman's chest cavity, feeling her blood flow over her fingertips. The sound of her struggling to breath had filled Regina with ecstasy.

"I can control this. I can control this," Regina murmured over and over, eyes locked on her hands, which shook as her energy buzzed through her. As much as she wished she could control this, she could already feel it eating her alive.

She had to get out of here. The last place she needed to lose control was in the house with Henry only a room away. So, she rushed outside and was met with a sight she was unfortunately familiar with on the horizon. There were people with torches and pitchforks, along with bats, swords, axes, bows, guns, and household items that could double as weapons, marching toward her home. Those ignorant wretches. They were in for Hell if they thought she would allow them to do endanger her son for a woman she had actually saved after killing.

"Burn the witch!" several people shouted, raising their torches or weapons, earning cheers for this chant. There were wild eyes in the sea of people. Some were even foaming at the mouth. It would seem they were fed up with her.

"Greetings, fools," Regina smirked as she appeared before them in a column of black fire and smoke. Ice formed on the ground around her in a five-foot circle. "I can only assume you're looking for me." She smirked.

The crowd collectively gasped and stopped. They had to know what sort of power was at her disposal at this point. After all, she leveled _Granny's_ last night and her own kitchen just this morning. Then, there was the fact that she almost murdered the Blue Fairy, who was virtually powerless against her. Gossip got around too fast for anyone to be ignorant.

"You need to burn!"

"It's time for you to get out of our town!"

Regina chuckled. "Your town? I'm fairly certain I built this thing. If anything, it's mine and you're mine. You peons should be glad I've allotted you your lives at this point. I might not be so generous in these next few minutes, though."

"You think of us as mere toys! We won't standby and wait for you to kill the lot of us!"

"We'll treat you as all witches should be treated!"

"Burn!"

"Well, I suppose I could just take you all out with the wave of my hand right now and not have to worry about any of this, especially the burning part. Sounds quite unpleasant," Regina said, holding up her hand. The black aura around her danced and flecks of gold shined in it. _Is that my ichor? Perhaps I should just surpass my mother's desires. Why be a queen when I could be a god?_ The power inside of her flared, whispering to her that she was a god. And gods did not bow to insects.

"Mom, what's going on?" Henry called as he and Neal charged up the street. It was possible they had seen or heard the commotion from the house or someone had let them know there were things going down.

Regina growled, upset in different ways. Why the hell would Neal run Henry out here, seeing an unruly mob approaching the house? And this was the man Henry wanted to just say was his father. Clearly having common sense and being responsible did not matter to Henry.

"Mom?" Henry repeated, standing just behind her. Neal was right at his side.

Regina refused to look at Henry. She did not know what these people might do, even in front of her son. But, even scarier than that, Regina was not sure what she might do, even in front of her son. Everything just churned and itched so badly and she wanted to scratch, scratch everyone before her out of existence.

"Henry, stay back!" Regina ordered, throwing her hand out. Flames shot out, spraying all over the place.

Henry jumped back. Someone fired shots from a gun followed by bolts from a crossbow and arrows. The projectiles never made it close. Once they contacted Regina's power, they evaporated. Regina roared, black smoke pouring from her mouth, and she was certain she had fangs again. She threw out more flames, making the mob fall back, literally in some people's cases. The ground rumbled beneath them, like there was an earthquake on just this block.

"Mom!" Henry cried, struggling to maintain his balance. He tried to reach out for her, but she stepped away.

"Regina, come on, pull it together! You don't want to hurt Henry again, right?" Neal said, moving in front of Henry, as if to protect him.

A snarl escaped Regina and she made a fist. No, she did not want to hurt her son. _Oh, he's not your son_ , a voice hissed in her head. _He has his birth parents, his real parents, just as you now have your real father_. Her aura flashed off of her like an erupting volcano, a swirling mass of black and gold with hints of violet. The mob actually ran back, putting real distance between her and them.

"Henry, Neal, get over here before she hurts you!" David waved them over as he and Snow made their way to the head of the group. Snow stared with eyes wide with horror, like she could not fathom what was happening, but there was something more there. Something Regina refused to consider.

"I'm not leaving my mom!" Henry replied, glaring at his grandfather with unmasked contempt.

"So, leave him alone!" Regina threw her hand out and the couple was flung down the street.

"Mom!" Henry cried, trying to step closer. The force from her magic caused a powerful wind that kept him back. He put up his arm, needing to shield his face from dust and debris. "Those are Emma's parents and my grandparents!"

Regina did not care. They hurt Emma. They threw Emma away. They tried to take Henry from her. They were beneath her and they needed to understand that. All of the plebeians needed to understand that. They would be lucky to kiss her boots.

Her thoughts were interrupted as she heard the familiar rattle of a broken down pile of junk. Emma's car sped over, having to dodge several members of the cowering mob. It screeched to a halt when too many people were in the way.

"Regina, stop!" Emma jumped out of her car, leaving it parked in the middle of the street. She rushed over to the scene. "Regina, this isn't you! Just a week ago, you were ready to lay down your life to save this place and these people! Remember that?"

Regina flinched and recalled being down in the mine, wanting to die as Regina as she tried to stop the doomsday device she created. Even now that she thought about it, being able to create a failsafe for this curse, _the_ Curse, should have clued her into something being off with her. She was not normal, not even for a witch. Of course, had she given anything a thought beyond resurrecting Daniel or inflicting pain, she would have wondered why the Dark One was so interested in her in the first place. The Dark One was not known for taking on apprentices.

While getting lost in her thoughts, Regina did not notice Emma in her face now. How, she did not know. Her powers had Emma's hair flying all around and frost seemed to creep over Emma's face, but hazel eyes stayed focused on her. Emma managed to take her hands and held them tightly in her own. Regina looked down at their joined hands and then looked into Emma's eyes. _How is she here? Why is she here?_

"Remember you wanted to die as Regina?" Emma asked in a low voice. "Remember how you just wanted to _be_ Regina?"

Regina swallowed, feeling a burn in her stomach. This had always been a longing of hers. It had been so long she denied being Regina. All too often, she could not even remember who Regina was. This itching in her skin, this crawl of power, made it even harder to figure out who Regina was, as it felt like the magic was devouring whoever that person could be.

She could already feel it gnawing at her bones, licking at her nerves, and tearing into her muscles. It would take away any and all that was her. Her heart felt choked in her chest, strangled by magic beyond her understanding. She would lose everything, her son, herself, her… Tears stung her eyes and her lip trembled as she stared at Emma.

"Help," Regina whimpered, her throat closed from anxiety.

"I will," Emma promised softly and she wrapped Regina in a tight hug.

The embrace caused Regina to gasp, but she did not pull away. When was the last time someone hugged her, beyond Henry? Too long. Emma held her close, like she was fragile and delicate, and it felt like everything inside of her settled again. Emma rubbed the small of her back, calming her more. The force around her died down some, the magic creeping back into her. But, for how long? When would it be impossible to soothe this power and it would be in complete control?

"It's okay," Emma promised.

Regina wished that was true, but allowed Emma to hold her, to lie to her, and to quietly walk her away from the whole scene. The mob wisely remained, standing stupid and silent in the street. Even the Charmings did not stop them. Neal and Henry followed behind them.

Once they were safe in the house, Emma eased her down on the couch. It felt like Emma might let go, but Regina refused, gripping her as if their lives depended on it. If Emma let go, everything inside of her might come pouring out again. Emma seemed to know it was not time to let go yet and practically cloaked Regina with her body. Henry tucked himself in against Regina's empty side while Neal made himself comfortable in an armchair not too far away. They were quiet for a long time.

"It's getting worse, isn't it?" Henry asked in a low, quivering tone.

"It'll be okay. We're going to cure you, Regina," Emma promised.

"You can't cure me of my own blood," Regina sighed. She needed to face facts. This was who, _what_ she was. That would never change.

"Well, we'll figure out how to get it control," Emma corrected herself. She sounded so confident, but it echoed hollow inside of Regina.

"You're strong," Neal chimed in, leaning forward to be a little closer to them. "You'll be able to fight it off. There were stories in the book that some of the Dark One's offspring were able to fight off the Darkness for a while and you have the blood of a god in you. That'll probably swallow the forces trying to devour you. Gods are way more powerful than the fae."

Regina shook her head, certain her ichor mixed very poorly with these Dark forces inside of her. Gods were already selfish creatures to begin with and depending on how close her ancestry was to the gods, it might help explain much of her actions as the Evil Queen. _Lilith must have been a close relative for all of this power to be inside of me_.

"This is how monsters are made. Demons," Regina whispered. She was certain of that. She could not beat nature or nurture. She had always been doomed. This idea of there even being a Regina was ridiculous.

She was a demon. All she wanted to do was bring pain and terror to people, like a demon. This was what happened when dark powers mixed with the blood of a god. She was destined to be a monster, the stuff of nightmares.

"We'll figure something out," Emma vowed, rubbing Regina's shoulder. "Look, you guys hit the books again and I'll go pick us up some pizzas. Okay? Cramming sessions are best with pizza."

Henry nodded. "Yeah." He turned to Regina. "We can get pepperoni and peppers, right?"

Regina managed a smile and reached over to caress his cheek. "If that's what you want."

He smiled, but his eyes were so full of worry and sorrow. He cared. It was nice to know he cared and she had to swallow down tears. Someday soon, she might not be able to appreciate this as her inner demon took over.

They all stood up, needing to move, but not ready to part yet. They looked at each other, quick glances, for a long moment. Then, Neal walked off, heading over to their pile of books. Henry followed him. Emma took Regina by the hand and held it firmly, no fear at all. She looked Regina in the eye with such hard core determination.

"It's okay to be scared, but we got you," Emma said.

Regina could not speak and just shook her head. She stepped away from Emma, pulling her hand away. She eased over to the hopeless pile of old tomes. They even reeked of disaster and her demise.

-8-8-8-8-

Emma had to go get her car and was glad to see the mob had dispersed. As she drove down the street, she called her parents, wanting to find out if they were all right. Regina had thrown them fairly far, after all.

"Emma, are you all right?" Mary Margaret practically screamed into the phone.

"Give us a minute and we'll be over to you," David said.

"No!" Emma barked. The last thing Regina needed was to see them again. "I'm fine. I don't want to do anything that might upset Regina, so don't come over here."

"Is she holding you hostage?" Mary Margaret inquired with a gasp.

Emma had to look at her phone from that question. "Uh… no. Look, I'm trying to help her and everyone else. Regina's a time bomb and we all know it. We can talk about this at _Granny's_."

"There's nothing to talk about. Regina's dangerous, more than she's ever been," David stated. "We need to do something about her."

"You guys were at the head of a mob that tried to do something about her. You see how well that went. We're not executing Regina by mob."

"We're not talking about executing her. But, we have to do what's best for our town," Mary Margaret said.

Emma arched an eyebrow to this. "So, letting a mob rip apart the mother of your grandson is the right thing?"

"Regina has committed more than enough crimes and Henry doesn't need her," David argued.

Emma blinked. Henry did not need his mother? Did they think parents were just interchangeable like that? _They think kids are like that_. Mary Margaret's silence on the other end of the line drove the point home.

"Look, just meet me at _Granny's_." Emma did not want to argue about this. She did not want to argue with them. She just wanted to have parents. Was that too much to ask?

"We can come up with a plan there," David said. Emma was not sure what kind of plan he wanted to come up with, but she already had her own plan.

"Bring Blue if you can," Emma requested. Maybe this head fairy lady would be able to tell them what was going on with Regina and how to stop it.

She would meet with her parents, confer with Blue to see if there was someway to help Regina, and then go get pizza. This sounded insane to her own head, but then again, life had been pretty insane for a while now. It was actually a little annoying. Really this whole thing was annoying. She shook her head, dispelling the thought. She needed to focus.

Pulling up to the diner, Emma almost left the car running. She jumped out and found herself staring at Belle. She blinked and tried to sidestep the librarian, but Belle blocked her path.

"Emma, what is going on?" Belle demanded with a glare. _What the hell is she pissed about? Does she know what the hell Gold did?_ No time to find out.

"A lot of stuff for a small town," Emma answered, catching a glimpse of her parents inside the diner. "Tell ya all about it when I got the time." She slid by Belle with ease and went into _Granny's_. Eventually, someone would need to talk to Belle, she knew that. She really did not want it to be her, though. There had to be a long list of people more suitable to tell Belle about how much of an asshole Gold was.

Mary Margaret and David rose to their feet from a booth as soon as Emma stepped inside. Blue was off to the side, talking to Tinker Bell. Emma was glad to see Tinker Bell. She might be able to help. Regina trusted her. Plus, Tinker Bell had already proven helpful, putting the diner back together when everyone else was preoccupied with trying to fix the convent.

"Is everything okay? Did Regina explode again?" Mary Margaret asked.

Emma waved the question off as they slid into the booth. "I calmed her down, but this is getting serious."

"Exactly, which is why we need to capture her," David said.

"Right. I'm sure the Blue fairy can come up with something to keep her contained," Mary Margaret added.

Emma shook her head. "I'm not trying to capture, Regina. She's trying to stop it and I'm trying to help. Why are you so quick to throw Regina under the bus? I know she was a pain in the ass, but she helped. She's trying."

"She's dangerous," David insisted.

"And every time we try to give her a chance, she uses it to try to destroy us," Mary Margaret stated. "Do you know the last time I spared her, she tried to stab me in the stomach as soon as she got the chance?"

"I can believe that." It sounded like something Regina would do. She probably smiled while she did it.

"Yeah, so she might be playing the victim with you, but she's never the victim. She's dangerous and needs to be contained," David stated.

"Even if she's trying, Emma. This is just too much power to let roam the streets," Mary Margaret said.

"We should give her a chance. She saved us before," Emma pointed out. "When she didn't need to, she sucked up a death curse for us and our thanks was to leave her to her mother and then help her kill her mother."

Mary Margaret winced at this and glanced away. Emma felt like she could get through to her mother. Mary Margaret had been there when Pan decided to live forever by taking root in Regina's mind. She knew this was beyond Regina's regular psychosis. There was emotion and care for Regina in Mary Margaret's eyes. Emma just had to reach in and make her mother care again. She was not very confident in her ability to do that, though. After all, she had not been able to reach in and make her mother love her enough to stay with her. The hesitation cost her.

"We don't owe Regina anything. She's been a plague on us and our people since before you were even thought about. She's not the victim. She's never been the victim," David double-downed. "She's done nothing but cause pain and misery to our family." He put his arm around Mary Margaret's waist and, suddenly, they were a united front again.

"She needs to be contained, so everyone is safe," Mary Margaret said.

"Well, I'm not giving up on her," Emma said. Beyond Regina being her kid's mother and very much trying to be a different person, it was clear Regina trusted her and expected her to be there. She would not let Regina down. Too many people had already done that in life.

"We already let you try and she caused panic in the supermarket, killed a woman people said," David replied.

"You let me?" Emma echoed. Oh, so when they left Regina's house this morning after the kitchen incident, they were just indulging her like she was some spoiled brat. "I'm not some baby you're letting play. I'm going to help Regina because she needs it and wants it. Like I said, I'm not giving up on her."

"Oh, Emma." Mary Margaret sounded so patronizing. "Believe me, that road leads only to heartbreak."

Emma shook her head, sick of them, and turned to Blue. "Is there someway for us to stop whatever Regina's going through? I don't think she can control it and this is only, like, day two. What happens when it's day ten?"

Emma did not want to think like that, but Regina seemed to be declining a lot faster than they would be able to research. Magic seemed to have no affect on her, so it was not like Blue or Gold would be able to stop her once this Darkness thing took over. Emma had no real control over her own magic, so she would not be able to stop Regina. There was only so far a hug could go.

"As I have always said, Regina is lost to Darkness. What Rumple created with her is just an unstoppable force of destruction. Her powers will consume her. Her divine blood is too close and she is the direct offspring of the Dark One. It's all too much," Blue answered.

"You can't just keep writing her off!" Tinker Bell growled, pushing her way into the conversation and glaring the Blue Fairy down. "It's this crap where you didn't help her in the first place that's got us here!"

Blue scowled. "I have no domain over her and when I tried to help, her mother vowed to destroy me. Have you ever faced a demigod witch? The fae can be easily outmatched by them for they are true demons," she pointed out. They were definitely seeing this with Regina.

A snarl tugged at Tinker Bell's lip like a mad dog. "You didn't even try."

"I did more than I needed to," Blue argued, like this somehow made her a saint. Of course, with the way people around here acted, maybe it did.

"So, you're saying there's no way to stop it? There's no magical gizmo or talisman or spell or doodad or something?" Emma asked. There had to be a stop on this crazy ride to help Regina. There was always _this thing_ that came out of nowhere and solved the problem. How could there not be a "this thing" now?

"The worst monsters in our realm's history were always ones with divine blood mixed in with Darkness," Blue stated.

"Well, what happens to them?" Emma had read some crazy things in her research, but hoped there was something better in Blue's vast knowledge, not that she seemed inclined to share positive news.

"They're very rare. They're demons. Literally demons, typically banished to dark places to save the realm from their terror. Regina will become one and there's nothing you can do about it," Blue seemed to promise.

"There's always something to do. You can't just write someone off like that!" Emma slapped the table and jumped up to be in Blue's face. These people abandoned others like it was in fashion.

Blue gave her a sad smile. "You're a good person, Emma, to care so much for someone so unworthy."

Emma blinked. _Did she really just…?_ "You're an asshole, you know that?" Tinker Bell supported this opinion with a nod.

Resisting the urge to punch Blue, she turned and rushed out of the diner. She could hear Mary Margaret and David call after her, but she could not focus on them right now. Her kid's mother needed her. Thankfully, Belle was still right outside the diner, looking a little upset, but not like before. There was one last thing she could try.

"Belle, where's Gold?" Emma demanded. If Blue could not tell her how to save Regina, then maybe that bastard Gold knew something. He was able to bring magic to this world in the first place. He had to know how to get rid of it.

"He's at his shop. He's worried over his son. I was hoping you could tell me what's going on with them. I thought Neal forgave Gold and they were going to repair their relationship. Now, Rumple's been a mess with worry," Belle replied.

Emma could not help scoffing. _Is she really this gullible? And is Gold really this much of a goddamn liar?_ "I think he's more worried about what his son thinks of him than anything else. I gotta see him." She rushed off.

"Wait, I can come!"

Emma did not reply and she really did not want to share space with Belle out of fear that she might just blurt this whole mess out, but she waited for Belle to hop in the Bug. This would have to be her last trip and then she would get the pizza. She did not want Regina to suspect she was asking Regina's bitter enemies for help. _I doubt that'll fly well and no one wants her blowing anything else up or freezing anything else over_. She could still feel the chill in her bone marrow from when she got close enough to hug Regina.

"Emma, what's going on? People have been talking about Regina went out of her mind and she tried to kill Neal, Blue, and Rumple," Belle stated.

"Ask your boyfriend," Emma snapped. _Okay, maybe that was a little harsh. I'm not pissed at her and she obviously doesn't even know what's going on_.

Belle flinched. "I did ask him. He claims Regina has finally gone completely over the edge. Of course, she was already that when she was the Evil Queen."

Suddenly, Emma felt a little less sad and scoffed. "Oh, yeah, but Rumple is totally sane and believable, right? Ask him to tell you the whole story without lying to you."

Belle went a bit rigid, sitting up perfectly straight in the seat. "Maybe you should take off your Regina-tinted glasses. She tried to kill the father of your child."

 _No, she didn't!_ Emma scowled. "I don't think you should be telling me about tinted glasses. If Regina wanted Neal dead, he'd be dead. Instead, he's at Regina's house right now, trying to help her. So, again, tell your boyfriend to give you the real rundown without lying to you. I'm sure it'll be impossible, but it's not my place to tell you. You probably wouldn't believe me anyway." She wished Belle would wise up and get the hell out of that relationship, but she did not have time to try to talk Belle into figuring out how to help herself. Right now, she needed to help Regina before Regina killed everyone.

Belle stared at her, eyes wide with shock. Emma did not have it in her to feel sorry, so they sat in an awkward silence for a couple of minutes. They pulled up to the shop and got out of the car. As the scent of dust, polish, and oil hit her, Emma finally knew exactly what deceit smelled like. Gold was behind the counter. He smiled slightly until he noticed Emma.

"Sheriff, what can I do for you?" Gold asked, trying to sound pleasant.

"Regina," Emma hissed.

Gold frowned. "What does _that_ have to do with me?"

Emma glanced at Belle. "Oh, should I just spill the whole thing?" She doubted he wanted Belle to know about his "love" child.

He frowned even more. "Belle, could you excuse us? I think the Sheriff might want to talk business." He managed a smile for Belle, as if that would help her leave the room faster.

Belle eyed them both suspiciously, but she disappeared into the back. _Maybe I should tell her_. Emma honestly was not sure if Belle would believe her, though. She seemed very much dedicated to Gold for whatever reason. Someone would have to tell Belle eventually, if only to save her from a lifetime of lies. _I hope I don't have to do that, but then again, I'm the fucking Savior_. For now, one worry, impossible task at a time, though.

Gold did not seem to trust Belle would not be able to hear them and motioned to the front door. He walked from behind the counter while Emma exited the shop. A few seconds later, he stood before her in the warm air.

"What have you told Belle?" Gold demanded, glaring at her.

Emma was certain he was trying to scare her and maybe on another day it would have worked. Right now, the only thing that scared her was Regina turning into a demon like Blue claimed. So, she just glared right back.

"Nothing yet. I'm pretty sure she should hear it all from you since you claim to love her so much," Emma replied. If he did not, she would let Neal know and Neal would probably tell Belle all, if only to save her from his father, who apparently destroyed everything he touched.

Gold leaned on his cane. "Then, what can I do for you, Sheriff?"

"How do I stop Regina's power from taking her over? I don't want her to hurt someone who doesn't actually deserve it."

He tilted his head a little. "Why do you care so much about Regina? Hasn't she been a thorn in your side since you showed up?"

"Yeah, but she's my kid's mom and she saved our asses in Neverland. So, maybe we owe her a little gratitude."

Gold looked at her through narrow eyes, as if he staring deep into her. "Is that it?" He laughed as if he thought it was something else.

"Maybe you should ask yourself the question of why you don't care? Surely deep down in the spaces Belle can see inside of you, it must be killing that last shred of decency for you to know what you did to your own daughter."

His face twitched and, for a moment, she thought she might have managed to offend him. "You know, there are ways to stop her." He tapped his cane.

Emma scowled. "I don't want to stop _her_. I want to stop _it_ , the magic. I'm not going to be fooled into doing your wet work, either. You might have made her a monster, but I won't let her turn into a demon."

He shook his head. "It's too late. It was always inevitable. Neverland has acerbated and accelerated the process in ways no one could have imagined, but Regina was always going to turn into a demon. You shouldn't expect anything less of a direct descendant of Lilith. One of the reasons I brought her here, actually."

She scoffed. "Cut the shit, Gold. I'm not holding the idiot ball today. I know you don't give a fuck about Regina. If you actually cared about her wellbeing, you'd at least have told her to get out of town when you brought magic to this place. Instead, you tried to let some ghost thing devour her soul. So, don't try to con a conman." _Does this ass think I just fell off the turnip truck?_

He sneered at her. "So vulgar, Sheriff."

"Yeah, stuff I learned from your son," she snapped.

He grimaced. "How is Baelfire?"

"Wanting to help save his sister. So, why don't you do right by your kids? There has to be a way to turn it off or at least bring it down a notch," Emma said. What good was all of this magic bullshit if it was only going to destroy Regina and maybe all of them in the end?

Gold waved it off. "Regina is beyond saving. There's nothing to save. You can't save her from what she is. It's like trying to save you from being human."

"You're lying," she snarled. Her arm shook as she fought the urge to punch his lights out.

"I assure you I am not. If I had something for you, I'd actually make a deal. There is nothing."

 _Does he really think I'm this stupid?_ "That's garbage. You mean to tell me in your fairy tale world of magical crap, you guys have nothing to stop demons?"

Gold laughed and tapped his cane. "Oh, no. We have plenty of things to stop them, as I told you. Nothing to turn them human, though. Eventually, Regina's nature will win out and eventually someone will use their knowledge of demon slaying to… well, slay the demon."

Demon slayers. That sounded about right for this crazy place. And Gold would not help her. _Why did I think he would? Heartless bastard_. Regina's death would serve him well in covering up all of his crimes and letting her take the blame for things he did. She could not trust anything he said if he had offered to help anyway.

"If I don't get to say anything else to you, be sure to know I think you're a fucking bastard," Emma said before storming off, boots pounding against the sidewalk like she was trying to go through it. She could hear the bastard giggling as she left.

How the hell could he laugh knowing his own daughter was going to be driven mad by powers she could not control? How could he not care about his own daughter? How could _they_ not care about their daughter?

Emma stiffened at the slip as she slid into her car. _This isn't about_ them _. They're not Gold_. No, they were not Gold, but they were not great parents either. They would not even help her try to help Regina. How could they call themselves heroes if they would only help under certain conditions, only help certain people? But, then again, how could they call themselves parents when they only seemed to love her under certain conditions? How could they call themselves parents if they did not think about what she went through without them, only what they with through without her? _No, this isn't about them_.

Shaking her thoughts away, she tried to refocus as she drove to the pizza place. She was not sure what she was going to do, not sure what Regina was going to do. The magic would win eventually.

Emma blinked. _Wait, that's it_. Yeah, the magic would win eventually, if Regina stuck around where there was magic. It was not a true solution, but it could buy them time.

-8-8-8-8-

Next time: Emma tells Regina her plan, even though she's not sure Regina will go for it.


	10. Highway to Hell

I don't own these characters.

10: Highway to Hell

Emma was terrible at hiding the fact that she had bad news, Regina thought. She was all nervous smiles, anxious chuckles, and worried squints. She put on a brave face that Neal and Henry brought, but Regina could see right through it. Of course, Neal and Henry were probably distracted by the two pizza pies and bottles of soda Emma carried and did not really notice the troubled look in her eyes, which had lines underneath them.

Regina decided to unburden Emma after their dinner of fairly greasy pizza and soda. It was a very poor last meal in her opinion, but Henry seemed quite happy, so it was fine. Emma looked like she had something sour, even after inhaling two slices. Neal studied Emma and Regina stepped in, not wanting him to upset her further.

"Henry, you should show Neal your comic collection," Regina suggested as she started to clean up the dining room. She had to shake away the memory of how shocked Emma and Neal were that they would eat pizza in the dining room, on plates. What were their childhoods like? Not that hers was any better, but she wished theirs was.

Henry's brow wrinkled. "Shouldn't we go back to the books?" He pointed to the living room. "We need to find someway to help you."

Regina offered him a soft smile as she shook her head. "Any researcher knows you need a break or you'll burn out before you reach your goal. We'll continue tomorrow."

Henry nodded and turned to Neal. Neal glanced at Regina and then at Emma. He could probably tell something was up. He would find out eventually. For now, he allowed Henry to lead him away from the table and to the stairs.

"My collection's pretty big. I've been collecting since I was four," Henry boasted as they vanished upstairs.

"Drink?" Regina offered Emma. It might makes things easier for the sheriff.

Emma shook her head. "No. I think me and this pizza are just going to get better acquainted." She reached for another slice out of the pie with extra cheese and ground beef. Regina nearly vomited when she looked at the choices that night, this or Henry's beloved pepperoni and peppers.

Regina made a noise in acknowledgment. "Ah. You overeat when you upset?"

"No, I overeat when there's food around." Emma bit into her new slice. It would probably be gone in four bites, like the slices before it.

Regina moved to tidy up their plates and get those to the sink. "So, tell me what happened."

Emma blinked and looked up at her with wide eyes. "Nothing happened."

"You've been giving me sad puppy eyes all night. I know you didn't just go out and get pizza. That's not in your nature. What happened?"

Emma scoffed and turned her attention to the table, trying to stare a hole through it. "You think you know me so well."

"Don't I? Now, tell me what happened to make your face so long." _Tell me the bad news. I'm sure I already know it_.

Emma sighed and dropped her slice onto her plate. She played with the edge of the plate, running her finger along it, just stalling for a long moment. "I had an idea. I mean, this thing is kind of taking you over pretty quickly. I don't think we'll figure it out before you drown in it."

Regina nodded. "Yes. I've considered this." _By my estimation, the demon inside of me will have full control before the week is out if I keep doing what I'm doing_. It was so hard to fight against something she did not understand, something that felt strange, but good, and something that could very well just be her.

Emma took a deep breath. "Well, what if… what if you left town?"

Regina sighed and rubbed her hands together. "That would be the most prudent thing to do, right?" She had considered this. To escape the magic, she should escape magic, but she did not want to be without her son. She _could_ _not_ be without her son.

"It doesn't have to be forever. Just until we figure this out, you know?" Emma looked at her, as if this was supposed to make this pill easier to swallow.

"I know." Regina licked her lips. This was the best bet, the safest thing for everyone involved. She should leave. "But, Henry…"

Emma nodded and picked her pizza back up. "I'm sure Henry would go with you. You're his mom and he understands that." She took another big bite.

Regina glanced upstairs. "Does he?" He seemed to think blood made family before anything else. She did not expect much of him. He was only eleven, so she did not fault him on this thinking. She just wished she had some impact on him in life for him to understand families sometimes chose each other.

Emma reached over and took Regina's hand. Regina could not understand why touching Emma settled her so much. Was it their connection through magic or was it just it had been so long since someone cared about her?

"Regina, he loves you. He'll go with you. Hell, Neal might go with you, too, and I'll be there."

Regina blinked. "You'll be there?"

"Of course, I'll be there. I'm not going to let you go just yet, not when you asked for my help. We can pack all of your books and go… somewhere. Once we find an answer, we can get things done," Emma explained.

Regina sniffled a little. Why was Emma sticking with her like this? "What do you get out of this?"

Emma's brow wrinkled. "Huh?"

"Is this just a way for you to save the town, Savior?" There had to be something more to this. No one ever just helped her. No one was ever _this_ nice to her just for the sake of it.

Emma snorted and waved the question off. "Please, Regina. This is a way for me to save you, my kid's mother. Beyond that, I think you've kinda grown on me, like a fungus or something." She let loose a wide grin.

Regina scoffed and glared at Emma, but there was no teeth behind it. She did not put up a fight. Emma had grown on her, like a fungus as well.

Getting out of town was probably the best thing for Regina. Even in a quiet moment like this, she could feel the scratching just under her skin. This would get worse before it got better, _if_ it got better, like most things in her life. Being without magic was probably the only way to turn it off. And, she was not even sure if that would work with a god's blood flowing through her veins.

"Do you have some place in mind?" Regina asked, trying her best to sound casual as anxiety gnawed at her insides.

Emma finished her pizza. "No, just out of town. I've lived a lot of different places, but I think we should just go somewhere close. We don't plan to be gone forever, right?"

"Right." Regina's stomach dropped. They might not plan on it, but she was almost certain she would not be able to return to Storybrooke while magic existed. "I have bank accounts ready for this and apartments in a couple of different cities."

Emma chuckled a little. "Why am I not surprised by that?"

"When the Curse broke, I did not know what to expect."

A blond eyebrow arched. "But, you expected the Curse to break?"

"I expected Rumple to be playing me as he often did and does. I just had no idea for how long. My point is that money won't be a concern for us once we do leave and depending on where we go, we will have a place to stay." Albeit, she might have to see how long Emma would stick by her side. Depending on where they went, she might only have space for her and Henry. If Emma planned to be there with her through every step, then she would have to get some place bigger.

Emma nodded. "That's good. Then, we can just focus on this. So, I guess we can tell Henry and Neal the plan when they come back down here."

Regina nodded and then went back to cleaning up the mess. Emma actually ate one more slice. Regina shook her head. She would have to cook something healthy for breakfast in the morning. They might end up having oatmeal considering the fact that Neal had also eaten four slices and Henry had two and a half.

About an hour later, Henry and Neal wandered back downstairs. The dining room sparkled. Regina and Emma sat in silence on the sofa. Regina sipped a cup of peppermint tea. Neal and Henry looked back and forth between them. Henry made himself comfortable in between them while Neal went back to the armchair.

"Were you impressed with his collection?" Regina inquired as she put down her teacup.

Neal nodded. "Not just how big it is, but how neatly it's kept. I've worked in a comic book store for a while and I've seen how kids his age treat comics."

"Mom is the one who bagged 'em and boxed 'em," Henry admitted with a shrug. He then looked between his mothers. "Are we all staying here tonight?"

Regina considered it. "There are the guest rooms and your room is always open to you."

"I figured it'd be easier to get back to studying tomorrow, anyway," Henry said.

"I'm not sure we'll be studying tomorrow," Regina informed them. Studying would be pointless right now. They needed to pack. She needed to pack.

Neal's brow wrinkled as his eyebrows knitted in close together. "Why not?"

"To buy some time, we decided it might be best for us to get out of Dodge until we figure this out," Emma said.

Henry's brow furrowed. "Why?"

Regina took Henry's hand into both of hers. "Henry, this thing inside of me… I can't control it. You've seen that. It's best if I go somewhere without magic, so I can't hurt people anymore. We can keep researching, but it would be best if I were somewhere else and couldn't use my magic."

"You mean we were," Henry said.

Regina blinked. "Excuse me?"

"You're talking like you're in this alone, like you're going to leave without us. Emma said best for us. We're all coming," Henry insisted, pointing to himself, Emma, and Neal.

Regina felt a jolt go through her. Henry wanted to be with her? He wanted her. Despite the day, she still could not believe her son wanted her.

"We can stay at my place in New York," Neal offered.

Emma scoffed. "You place is a shoebox. You could fit your place in one of Regina's guest rooms."

Henry nodded. "You could." It was a little disturbing to Regina to know her son had been some place unknown to her. But, he had probably been a few places unknown to her once she gave up custody of him. Would it have killed anyone to ask her, though? She shook that thought away.

"Hey, we need to move fast, right? We just go there and then plan our next move. It's a good base of operations and all, right?" Neal countered. He had a point and suddenly they had a destination. They would pack tomorrow.

-8-8-8-8-

Emma helped Regina and Henry pack. Regina seemed to be taking more than what she would need for a short trip, but Emma did not say anything. Regina probably traveled like the queen she was, with a whole bunch of unnecessary junk. All of her personal items went into the Mercedes while all of the books and research material went into the Bug.

"Who rides with who?" Henry asked, standing on the porch of the house. He pointed back and forth between the Bug and the Mercedes.

"While we figure that out, maybe Emma should let her parents know she'll be off on a little field trip for a while," Regina pointed out.

Emma winced. That made sense. "Uh… yeah, I should go do that."

"Maybe even talk to them a little," Regina added.

"Uh… maybe." Emma was not sure if she would be able to talk to her parents in the way Regina wanted her to. If her parents wanted to act like everything was normal, she could do the same. No sense in rocking the boat, right? Despite the fact that her parents upset her, at least she still had them. That was better than nothing.

"All of the books are packed. We'll meet you over at the loft," Regina said. "By then, we'll also figure out who is riding with whom and, hopefully, you'll have had a good discussion."

Emma sighed and decided to go. She wished someone would volunteer to be there for moral support, but she knew she needed to do this on her own. She needed to be strong with her parents. So, she got into her car and pulled away.

"Why is this bothering me so much?" Emma asked the air. Because if her parents could so easily abandon her or be disappointed in her, saying something to displease them might mean she could lose them forever. She had long decided that these parents were better than no parents. This family was better than no family.

The drive seemed to take forever and no time at the same time. She did not understand it. She did not get a chance to steel herself for this or even figure out what she would say to them, if she should say something.

"This isn't a big deal. I mean, yeah, I know they're not going to like this or whatever, but I'm coming back. Plus, this is the right thing to do. They'll respect that, right? I mean, I'm doing the right thing," Emma muttered as she got out of the car. They did not seem to respect it too much before, though.

She marched upstairs and stared at the apartment door for a long moment. They were going to argue with her over this, she knew it. Her stomach twisted and flipped. Was this something that could cost her their love? She had already been acting against their wishes, but again, she could not just sit by while her kid's mother lost herself. Regina had done a lot for them. Yes, she had done a lot _to_ them, but also for them and sometimes the good needed to outweigh the bad. Taking a deep breath, Emma felt like she would just have to let them know this was the right thing to do. She entered the loft.

"Emma!" Mary Margaret practically beamed as soon as she stepped through the door. She moved from the kitchen and rushed over to hug Emma, who awkwardly returned the embrace.

Emma felt a little guilty for being upset with the woman. It was clear Mary Margaret loved her. _Just not as much as she loves David, not as much as she would love you if she raised you, not as much as she'll love a new baby if she has one_. Emma swallowed those thoughts down and stepped away from her mother. She had to take a breath.

"Hey. How are you?" Emma asked.

Mary Margaret smiled. "I'm fine. I'm fine. You?"

"I'm good. David here, too?" Emma looked around, not seeing any sign of her deputy.

"In here!" He poked his head out of the bathroom. His face was covered with shaving cream. She blinked at the sight. It never occurred to her that David shaved, for some reason. He did not seem to need it when they were trapped in the endless Hell of Neverland.

"I just wanted to let you guys know I'm gonna be gone for a few days. Regina decided to leave town until she can get this magic thing under control and I just want to help her get settled," Emma explained as casually as possible.

Mary Margaret blinked and then her eyes opened wide. "Regina's leaving?"

"For now. It's best. She knows she has trouble controlling all of that magic, so she thinks it's best to just get away from magic," Emma replied.

"Sounds like a good idea," David said, stepping out completely out of the bathroom, possibly to hear everything happening.

"Yeah, I think so, too," Emma replied. _Wow, this is going pretty smooth_. It was a very pleasant surprise. "So, I'll be back in a few days, okay?"

"Do you want us to watch Henry?" Mary Margaret asked with a smile. She was eager to spend time with her grandson.

"No, no, no. He's actually coming along," Emma answered.

David's mouth dropped open. "You sure that's safe?"

"Yeah. Why wouldn't it be? The real danger seems to be here. Besides, he's worried about his mom — and she is his mom — so, it makes sense to take him. Don't worry about. Neal's coming, too. It's fine," Emma tried to assure them.

The couple exchanged looked, brows furrowed and eyebrows curled. It was like they were communicating telepathically, disagreeing with her plan. Apparently, it was fine for them to leave her, but not okay for her to leave them, or maybe it was not okay for Henry to leave them. Maybe they wanted Henry more than they wanted her. _No, that's stupid_. _You're being stupid. They make you stupid_. _Fuck this_.

"Look, I just wanted to let you guys know because we're leaving like right now," Emma stated. No sense in trying to talk to them now, about this plan, about Neverland, about anything. She could see it would only become an argument.

"What? No, Emma! We need to discuss this!" Mary Margaret declared with wide, panicked eyes. She reached out, taking Emma's hand. It did not feel like concern to Emma. It suddenly felt like control.

Emma stared at them, trying to figure them out. Why should they discuss this? It was not like they discussed the decision of staying in Neverland when David was poisoned. Or even like they discussed when David was poisoned. Hell, they had not even discussed what it meant for them to be her parents, for her to be their child, or what it was like for her to grow up an orphan. Suddenly, now, they needed to discuss something? That seemed a little hypocritical, especially when her decision was not forever.

"There's no time. I actually should grab some gear while I'm here and then I'll see you guys later," Emma said and she rushed up to her room.

Yanking a duffel bag from under her bed, she just dumped some clothes in the bag. Anything not in her room that she needed, she would just buy on the way. She had more than enough experience in this crap, after all. With the bag full, she shouldered it and marched back out to the common area to find David and Mary Margaret whispering together.

"You guys can talk about it all you want, but I'm gone," Emma said, marching for the door. She did not care what they were talking about. Her decision was made.

"Emma, we need to talk about this," Mary Margaret said, moving to stand in Emma's way.

Emma rolled her eyes and easily slid by her mother. "We did. Bye."

Emma opened and closed to door. Maybe that was rude, but right now she did not care. She had bigger things to worry about, and again, it was not like her parents ever discussed anything with her. Why should she be different? Why should she be considerate of them when it seemed they only wanted her conditionally? She had enough conditional parents in her life.

"Emma, wait!" Mary Margaret and David both called after her.

Emma hurried to the street. The Mercedes awaited her, as promised. Regina, Neal, and Henry all piled out. She offered them a smile as she threw her bag into the Bug.

Henry turned to her. "So, I figured we could all rotate on this trip, so everyone gets to sit with each other. I'm gonna start with Mom and then at the first pit stop, I move to you and then at the next pit stop you rotate to Mom."

"It's also to give everyone a break from driving," Neal added in.

"Oh, so Regina is letting someone else drive?" Emma smirked.

With a scoff, Regina rolled her eyes. "Not on your life."

"I thought as much. Okay, let's get this show on the road," Emma said, hitting the top of the Bug.

"Emma, wait!" Her parents came out of the apartment, which she had been hoping to avoid. "Emma!" Mary Margaret and David came out to the curb, standing a few feet away from Emma.

Emma groaned and rubbed her head. "I'm leaving, guys. This is happening. You can't talk me out of it."

Henry jumped in immediately, staring at his grandparents. "Talk you out of it? Why would they want to talk you out of leaving? Why don't you want Emma to help Mom?" Henry gaped at his grandparents with wide, watery eyes.

"Of course we want Emma to help. We just don't think everyone needs to leave for that to happen," David explained.

"Well, we can't let her go alone," Neal chimed in. "That's not what family does."

Emma could not believe the tearful smile on Regina's face. As much of a jerk Neal could be, he definitely kicked ass at this big brother thing already. Regina probably needed that, just like Neal needed someone to take care of him, which Regina seemed ready to step up to do if last night's prepping of the guest room and healthy breakfast was a sign of anything.

"Right. Family is supposed to be there for each other," Henry said with a nod. He took Regina's hand and smiled at her.

"So, we'll straighten this whole thing out and be back soon," Emma told her parents, who seemed speechless. It was nice to have backup.

Mary Margaret and David stood there, just kind of staring at them. They had not expected this united front, Emma guessed. Or maybe they were not used to people really opposing them. They were royalty, after all.

"We'll see you later, Grams. Gramps." Henry trotted over to them and hugged them.

They hugged him back and then turned their attention back to her. "Emma, you should wait. We can talk about this. You're being too hasty," Mary Margaret said.

Emma had no desire to entertain them, but that feeling intensified when she noticed the dark aura around Regina. Regina's patience ran thin. Not wanting to risk Regina losing control and possibly go full out demon, Emma urged everyone into the car.

"There's nothing to wait about. We'll be back soon. Love you!" Emma jumped into the driver's seat and started the car.

"Yeah, love you!" Henry shouted as he returned to his mother and Regina pulled off.

They left Mary Margaret and David standing on the curb. Emma felt a little guilty, like she had done something wrong and she could lose her parents. But, then she remembered how easily they liked to walk away from her anyway. She could do everything right, like break the stupid fucking Curse, help save the town from certain doom, not even get mad at them when they lost Henry, and they would still abandon her at the drop of a hat. She did not owe them anything. They owed her!

Neal looked at her for a while. "You okay?"

"Yeah." As okay as she could be sharing a car with him, anyway.

"Tell that to your face."

Emma tried to not laugh, but failed. "Shut up." And just like that, she was seventeen all over again.

-8-8-8-8-

"Do you feel okay?" Henry asked Regina as they made their way to the town line.

"Ask me that when we cross the line," she answered honestly, letting out a tense breath. Right now, she just felt that burning sensation, that clawing under her skin. It felt like this thing inside of her was breathing, wanting out _now_. The faster they got out of town, the better.

He nodded and for a while, they were silent. When they finally drove out of town, she gasped, sounding strangled even to her own ears. It felt like something twisted inside of her and popped. And then… nothing. Henry looked at her with lines under his eyes.

"You okay?" he asked anxiously.

She opened her mouth. "I…" She took a deep breath and noted that it did not feel like there were ants crawling under her skin. It did not feel like there was a creature about to tear her apart and wear her skin. "Yes."

He smiled. "Good."

She smiled at him. And then they were back to being silent. She wanted to say something, but she feared if she did, Henry would just take it the wrong way and hate her again. Or worse, he was silent because he remembered he hated her since she was no longer in danger.

Henry broke the silence as usual. "Mom?"

"Yes?"

A blush burned his face. "Uh… I love you, you know?"

Her eyes went wide and she glanced at him very quickly. "I love you, too, Henry."

"In Neverland… I was kinda scared I'd never see you again. They tried to make me forget, but there's a lot of little things I actually remembered that I forgot before, like perfect PB&J. I was upset with you and I treated you bad, but you still came to rescue me."

She smiled at him again. "I'll always come to rescue you, Henry. No matter how you feel, you'll always be my son."

He nodded. "I'm… I'm happy I'm your son."

She did not know what to say to that. "But… you have your real parents."

"Emma and Neal are cool, but they're not you. I know I don't seem like I get, but I get it. It just… it doesn't come out right. I mean, I talked to the Lost Boys and I know, despite your faults, you weren't a horrible mom. You used to be a horrible person, but you're getting better."

"I'm trying."

"I get that and I should try, too. I don't wanna lose you, Mom. Well, I don't want to lose any of you, but you know… I was pushing you away."

She shook her head. "I understand why." Lies hurt, especially from someone that was trusted, not that she trusted Rumple.

He stared at her with hope in his eyes. "Yeah?"

"Yes. I completely understand now. It's all right. I promise to be better, to you, in general. I don't want to… well, I want to be me. Not the Evil Queen, not Madam Mayor, just me. A big part of me is being your mother and I want to be the best mother possible. So, how about we just try to look forward?"

"Okay. But… do you think this magic thing is the reason you turned evil before?" he asked.

She shook her head. "I don't think so. I was corrupted, yes, but this thing inside of me is something totally different. Neverland unleashed this power. I've never felt anything like it before." She wished she could blame it all on whatever this was, but the inner demon thing was too new. She had to own up to everything before. It was her. Yes, it was her under an influence, but it was still her.

"Well, we'll get rid of it for you. We're a pretty good team." He grinned.

Regina was not so sure about that. She did not do well with teamwork, which was evident with Emma in Neverland. She took charge or she took off to get things done. She would see how things went.

Added to that, she was not sure there was a way to "get rid of" this thing inside of her. She just needed to be without magic. No, she had not read everything on what could happen to her, but so far, everything pointed to her being a demon and demons were led by dark desires, which they obtained through magic.

For the next few couple of hours, she played car games with Henry and they did their best to be normal. He seemed very relieved and happily played. His demeanor helped her relax and then they had to switch. Neal got in the car and the air felt… not tense, but still heavy.

"So, I figure if we're going to do the sibling thing we should… you know, talk about things we're curious about. Keep the air clear or whatever," Neal said.

"What would you like to know?" she asked, eyes on the road. Every lesson life had taught her told her not to share with, play everything close, but that had not worked in the past. He backed her up against Snow and Charming and he stood up to Rumple for her. This counted for a lot.

"Well, I guess how you ended up with Henry would be a good place to start."

"It's not very hard to figure out. For twenty years nothing happened in Storybrooke. It was like living in a very boring movie. I took up many hobbies, but none filled a void I had. I had always hoped to be a mother, but never had the chance. I decided to adopt."

He arched an eyebrow. "And it just so happened you adopted Henry?"

"Well, the adoption was arranged by your father. I don't know how he did this without his memories, but I know this was all set up for him to get Emma into town, so she could break the Curse and he could go looking for you."

He frowned and snorted through his nose. "Fuck him. He could've endangered my kid." He glanced at her. "No offense."

It was hard to say none taken at those implications, but considering the fact that she had lured about a dozen children into the home of the blind witch and left poor Owen an orphan to the world, maybe his concern was not completely unfounded. "Be that as it may, I adopted Henry. I'd like to think it was just circumstances that Emma gave birth to him, but I'm not so naïve. He is my son and I love him regardless. Is it my turn to ask a question now?"

"Uh… I guess." He glanced away and then looked at her again.

"Did it not bother you to sleep with a seventeen year old? After all, you're hundreds of years old," she pointed out.

He shook his head. "I'm not as old as you think and I guess not as mature as I should be. The portal I jumped in led to a different realm and time, kinda like your curse. So, I ended up here… I think anyway, but it was the late 1800s or something. I never got the exact date. Then, right after that, I ended up in Neverland trying to help Wendy and her brothers and I have no idea what the hell time it was there. I have no idea how long I was trapped there, but I was a teenager the whole time. Flash forward to me getting here and it was the 1990s." He scratched his chin. "I was actually in my early twenties when I met Emma, but mentally, I have no idea what sort of space I was. Neverland screwed my head up so much, Emma might have actually been the mature one between the two of us."

This was an adequate explanation. And while someone in their twenties being with a teenager might be frowned upon in this realm, in this country, she was just a teenager when she married Snow's father and no one in the Enchanted Forest batted an eye. And, who knew what Neverland did to someone who was not there voluntarily for years, possibly decades.

"My turn, huh?" He wiggled his eyebrows at her.

Mentally, she groaned. He thought he was cute. _How the hell could Emma stand him, even if she was only seventeen?_

"Hmm… Well, I know you were this Evil Queen person or whatever. Tell me about that. How'd you get to that point?"

Regina sighed. "It's a long story."

"We got time."

Regina nodded; that was true. So, she basically told him her life story without filtering it. Her mother wanted her to be queen and went to any lengths to make sure she listened and to get her on a throne. Her father, trying to be there for her, but also frightened of her mother, so he would not step in when her mother hurt her. Then, there was their fall from grace, which was quite literal. Her father's country lost a war and he lost his title. Her mother only got worse as she lost her precious status, even though they were not poor by any means.

"I managed to hold onto a kind nature and when I was a teenager, I fell for my riding instructor — a stable boy," Regina continued. She rushed through what happened with Daniel, still feeling that hole in her heart over him. "Our romance was short-lived."

She tried not to sound bitter as she described Snow's hand in Daniel's death and how absolutely defeated she felt after he died. She could feel cracks inside of her, wishing Snow's death and then Rumple showed up. He helped her get rid of her mother, gave her hope she could get Daniel back, and introduced her to magic.

"I had little interest in magic until Rumple helped me get rid of my mother. It was then I realized I could have power. I could be the one who made things happen rather than have things happen to me," Regina said.

"Yeah, except he wasn't teaching you for self-defense."

"I realize that now. At first, I thought I'd be able to bring Daniel back. Magic took him from me, why not use it to bring him back? I could then have my Happy Ending. Rumple made it seem like he would help."

Neal scoffed and shook his head. "That's what the devil does."

"I was desperate. I really needed Daniel back. He was the only good thing in my whole rotten life. I can't explain to you how much I felt like I needed him. I needed him for the life I wanted, for the freedom I longed for. Rumple made it seem like he was going out of the way for me. He got the Mad Hatter to take him to another realm and got Doctor Frankenstein. He made it seem like he was making an effort to bring Daniel back to me. They made me hope, so much hope, and then squashed me a second time when the experiment failed. It was at that point I wondered, why was the rest of the world allowed to be happy and all I got was despair?"

Neal shook his head. "He had you right where he wanted you."

Regina could not deny that. From that point on, no one else's feelings mattered. It was just about her pain, her suffering, and how she might relieve it. Of course, hurting others had never relieved it, but it was a good distraction. Besides, if she could not be happy, why should anyone else?

"Now, my turn," Regina said. "Did you really just abandon Emma? Leave her to take the blame for what you did?"

He blinked, like he had not expected that. "She told you that?"

"I knew she had gone to jail and I've heard her reminding her mother that it was your fault. What did you do?"

His shoulders dropped as he sighed. "I listened to August. You might know him better as Pinocchio. He scared me by telling me he knew who I was and then he told me about her destiny. I justified leaving to myself with the destiny thing, but I was just really afraid of someone knowing who I was. I was scared my father would find me or Pan would find me again."

"Two devils were after you."

"Yes, and I was just so scared. Hell, maybe even subconsciously this thought of settling down with Emma scared the crap out of me. I know I was wrong and I hope Emma lets me make it up to her."

Regina wanted to scoff, but she held her tongue. He had not judged her, so she would try not to judge him. It was hard, though, because his actions hurt Emma and even her son, even though she was certain Henry had a better life under her than he would have had with them. Still, she disliked what Neal did to Emma. They would have to learn to work passed it.

-8-8-8-8-

Emma squirmed in her seat. According to Henry and Neal, Regina was really talkative today. It was weird. But, she had not said anything to Emma yet. _She'll talk to Neal, but not me? Shit. That hurts_.

"We should be there soon," Emma eventually said to cut into the silence.

"Yes."

"So, you were serious about no one else driving."

"Obviously."

"Uh…" Emma searched her mind for something to say. "Henry said you said you feel better."

"Emma."

"Yeah?"

"What happened with your parents?" Regina asked.

"Huh?"

"You practically ran out on them and peeled off when they came out. What happened?"

"What does it matter?"

Regina glanced at her. "Because it's bothering you. You've stuck your neck out for me during this thing while you're being bothered by something. Tell me."

Emma huffed, but it poured out of her. "They're hypocrites. All of a sudden when I have a thing to do, they want to talk it over, but any other time, they just do stuff and hope for the best. They wanted to talk about this, our little road trip, but did they want to talk about staying in Neverland? No. Did they ever want to talk about getting back to the Enchanted Forest and if I want to go? No. They're just going to do that. They treat me like a kid, but don't wanna know about my fucked up childhood and then they're upset over the fact that they didn't get to be there with me to grow up. Have they ever bothered to ask how the hell I feel over that?" She pointed to herself with both hands.

Regina nodded. "Snow has never truly been able to see beyond her own issues and Charming seems to feed into that. They're the most important things in each other's lives and they haven't had a chance to adjust to you in their lives."

Emma shook her head and scrunched up her face. "You're defending them?"

Regina sucked her teeth and looked almost disgusted by the very idea. "Of course not. I would never take on the impossible task. Just informing you why they are the way they are. Maybe you should give them a little time. There's been much going on since you broke the Curse."

Emma pouted a little. She wanted Regina to just be on her side. She did not want to be reasonable about this. "Was this how I was when I went after Neal before Henry?"

"No, this is how you were when you were encouraging him to sneak around."

Emma scoffed and glared playfully at Regina, who smirked. Emma felt more like a mother after their trip into Neverland, but she understood she had a ways to go. She was not sure if her parents understood that and she did not want to give up on them.

"I've been looking for parents all my life," Emma mumbled.

"Well, you know where they are. You don't have to give up on them."

Emma nodded. This was quite true. If she could learn, then they could learn.

-8-8-8-8-

Next time: life outside of Storybrooke and life inside Storybrooke without the Savior and the Evil Queen.


	11. Burned

I don't own these characters.

11: Burned

Neal's apartment was tiny and in no way made for four people. It was also very far from the apartment Regina kept in New York. She would put that one on the market. She resolved to look for a hotel room or her own apartment nearby almost the second she stepped inside. She just did not tell anyone else this plan, knowing they were all too hopeful and believed they would only be here for a few days.

"I didn't get to do anything last time we were here. Mom, have you ever been to New York? Can we go to Central Park and check out the zoo or ride the ferry or go to the top of the Empire State building?" Henry asked in a rush. He practically vibrated with excitement, moving about the tiny… living room. Regina was not sure if it could be considered a room. She was thankful the place at least did not smell like a bachelor pad.

Emma laughed and mussed his hair to tease him. "I guess we can do that, but first, let's unpack and let's do some research for a little while."

"Oh, and let's get pizza! Real pizza!" Henry grinned and turned to Regina. How could she say no to that face?

"I'm sure Neal knows a great pizza place around here," Regina replied.

"Yes!" Henry turned to Neal and pointed at him with both index fingers. "You do know a great spot, right?"

Neal scoffed. "Of course I do." He glanced at his watch to check the time. "They're open for a few more hours, too. So, let's get unpacked first and then we'll go get food. Check out the neighborhood a little bit."

Henry nodded and rushed off, hopefully going to get his things. Emma took off after him, so he was not on the street by himself. Regina smiled a little to herself. With the proper training, Emma could probably become a decent parent.

It took a few trips to get all of the books upstairs. One of Neal's neighbors asked about it, which Regina thought was odd. Weren't New Yorkers supposed to be all about minding their own business? Emma was the one who waved the question off and explained Neal's new friend was a bookworm and he was holding the books for her. The answer seemed acceptable, as the neighbor went about his business. Regina felt like the whole thing was strange, but put it out of her head.

Once all of the books were inside, Henry and Neal were off for pizza. Regina moved to organize the books while Emma inspected the apartment. Emma's task did not take long.

"We should've bought a cot or something while we were on the road so Henry would have a clean place to sleep," Emma said. "I'm not sure if I trust this couch."

Regina looked up from her task and looked around, eyes falling on the aforementioned furnishing. Was that a sofa? _Dear gods, he has absolutely no taste_. It was worse than being in a college dorm room.

"We will have to work out sleeping arrangements," Regina said.

"I think you and Henry can take the bed if you're comfortable with that. It'll fit you both. I can take the couch. I've slept worse places."

"And Neal will be all right with that?"

Emma smirked. "I think as your brother, he'll learn to be all right with it."

Regina chuckled. Yes, she supposed she would have to start teaching her brother to be more of a gentleman. She would have to smooth out some of his edges if he was going to spend time with Henry. They would also have to talk about his relationship with Henry. They had not really touched upon who he was to Henry in the car, more just learning about each other. She had opened up to him about things she had not told anyone. She truly did want a brother.

"Emma, what role do you envision Neal having in Henry's life?" Regina asked.

Emma blinked, like she was shocked Regina asked her this question. Regina had come to accept Henry was Emma's son, as well. This was how Henry wanted it and Regina was finally able to live with this. Emma was noble to a fault, but she was a good person. She cared about Regina and loved Henry.

"Well, it looks like we're all kinda… you know… stuck together, I guess. If Neal is serious about being your family and wanting to know Henry, I don't see why he couldn't be a dad. I mean, if you think I could be a mom and I just got here last year, then he could be a dad, right? I mean, if he means it," Emma replied, moving closer to Regina and the pile of books.

Regina nodded. "I suppose." This all made sense. If she could trust Neal to be her brother, she could give him the chance to be Henry's father, especially if Henry wanted it that way.

Emma laughed. "This time last year you probably would've already tried to kill Neal."

Regina smirked a little. "You forget already I did try to kill Neal."

There was a scoff. "That was a half-ass attempt. You've turned it around and that's great. We see how far you've come in a short period of time, even with the almost backslide with your mother. We didn't help you then, but we're here now and you seem like you're doing the best out of all of us, not counting the multiple attempts at murder and all."

Regina shook her head and fiddled with the books briefly. "I don't know about doing the best, even leaving out the loss of control. I want to do better. I don't want to end up being my mother." Her biggest fear in life and she realized now how close she had come to this. Hell, there were times when she probably crossed the line and one-upped her mother. She did not want to do that ever again.

Emma gave her a patient look. "I don't think you're endanger of being her."

Regina smiled at her. _Bless this noble idiot for trying_. "Are you also forgetting I poisoned Henry?"

"Yeah, but by accident."

Regina snorted. "When did you become so forgiving?" How was this the same woman set to murder her in the hospital supply closet not too long ago?

"Since I saw the lengths you'd go through to get him back. Honestly, I doubt I've ever seen a mother act like that. You're like one of those mama bears I keep hearing about. You're in a better space now. I know what it's like to be in a dark place."

"A murderous place?"

Emma laughed, glancing away as the awkward sound came out of her mouth, and ran her hand through her hair. "I've come close. Shit gets hard living on the streets. You learn to push people away, do things on your own, and wonder about ulterior motives all the time."

"Are we talking about your parents again?" Regina asked. Hearing these things, though, she felt like Emma was not too different from her, which troubled her and comforted her at the same time. If Emma could be like her and still do the right thing, maybe she could do the same.

Sighing, Emma took a seat on the floor. "I don't trust them, but I want to trust them."

"Well, I don't want to trust you, but I do. It takes time."

Emma nodded and grinned. Regina wished she could go back to Storybrooke for just a moment and slap Snow and her shepherd. They were too wrapped up in themselves to understand they were hurting their child. She wondered if they would have to lose their child as she lost Henry for them to truly understand what they were doing. But, she doubted it would come to that.

Despite Emma's annoyance with her parents, they seemed to be constantly on her mind. Emma wanted to please them. Regina understood how that could be, as she had always wanted to please her mother, despite the way her mother treated her. She did not want to see Emma falling into a bad pattern with them, as she had done with her mother, too. She would keep an eye on this as time went by and offer Emma advice when she asked or needed it.

"So… since you're all right with Neal trying to be a dad to Henry… is it okay for me to try to be a mom, too?" Emma asked, almost shy.

Scoffing, Regina rolled her eyes. "Don't ask stupid questions, Miss Swan." This was already an emotional time. She did not want to sink any further into it. Emma laughed, like she was of like mind.

-8-8-8-8-

They had been in Neal's tiny apartment for almost a week now, which was much longer than Emma anticipated. She and Regina were really the only ones researching now. Neal was busy showing Henry the sights, which was fine by his mothers. They had not found much and it would not do them any good to take his hope away.

"Are these all the books you have?" Emma asked from her space on the floor. Every one she read spelled doom for Regina if she went back to some place with magic. The demon inside of Regina would take over and Regina would be lost. Emma was tempted to shove the tower of tomes by her to the floor, but this would not be productive.

"Here, of course." Regina was by her own stack of books and patted the top one.

Regina was surprisingly comfortable on the floor with Emma. She was barefoot and dressed in simple yoga pants and v-neck shirt. Emma was not sure what to make of it, but felt like being out of Storybrooke, away from a bunch of fairy tale characters had already done Regina a world of good. Plus, she looked really good in yoga pants.

"I took these because I felt like they were most likely to have answers," Regina replied.

"Yeah, but not really." Emma smiled a little, even though reading these books had not lifted her spirits. They had come across some things about demons, but it was mostly things on how to kill demons or banish them to other realms. "I was thinking, too, maybe I should go back and clean out your crypt for the moment. We don't want anyone getting into that."

Regina sighed. "I suppose. This is obviously going to take longer than first assumed."

"Yeah." It did not bother Emma, though. Other than worrying about Regina, this had actually been rather relaxing. There were no monsters on the loose, worlds to conquer, gods to kill, or parents to try pleasing. It was just her, Regina's awesome cooking, and playing around with Henry when she was not conducting research. When this was all done, she wondered if they would be able to go on vacations together.

Regina took a long, deep breath. "I think I will acquire an apartment."

Emma blinked. Okay, that seemed really long term. "You shouldn't lose hope, you know? We're going to beat this thing." _Or maybe Regina just doesn't want to go back to Storybrooke and I wouldn't blame her_.

Regina shook her head. "I'm not losing hope. It's just obvious this will take a while. We need more space. I'll try to find something around here, so Neal will be close by for us."

Emma nodded, but gnawed on her bottom lip briefly. There was something about that statement, something weird, which she dared not hope for. It seemed like Regina expected her to go with Regina and Henry. She would just wait and see. No reason to be shot down here and now.

"Should I take Henry with me back to town? He can see his grandparents and maybe a couple of friends. You think he'll want to get some more of his stuff?" Emma asked.

"I'm sure he will. Perhaps we should rent a proper vehicle for you."

"How much money do you have stashed away to just throw it at stuff like rental cars and apartments out of the blue?" Emma joked.

Regina gave her a little smirk. "More than enough for an apartment and a vehicle. It'll be fine."

Emma decided against arguing and tried not to imagine how much money Regina deemed comfortable for her to live on in the event of having to flee Storybrooke. _It's probably somewhere in the range of a "shit ton" and "holy fucking shit!"._ Regina arranged things and next thing Emma knew, they had an SUV rented. Henry was all for going back to Storybrooke for a while, but definitely wanted to come back to New York. He wanted to be with his mom.

-8-8-8-8-

Emma had called her parents and let them know she was coming, so it only seemed right to see them. First, though, she and Henry wanted to make sure to pack up the whole crypt. They did not want to leave anything behind once Gold realized Regina was gone for longer than anyone assumed. If not him, some other irresponsible magic user (or nonuser) could raid Regina's stash and mess up a whole lot of stuff. After that, it was time to go to the mansion.

Henry rushed into his home, not even waiting for Emma. She smiled a little, just thankful he let the car come to a complete stop. He probably missed his stuff. She could not relate, learning earlier on in life to never cherish anything, especially if she could not carry it on her all of the time. It was good to know Henry was still enough of a kid to have things he loved and missed.

"Well, well, well, if it isn't the missing Savior," Gold commented as he appeared on the sidewalk as she exited the car.

"Not missing. Just off on vacation," Emma replied with a shrug. It was not exactly a lie.

"You've taken off with my son," he hissed.

She could not help arching an eyebrow. "I have no idea what you're talking about. Neal is a grown ass man. He comes and goes as he pleases." She could not believe Gold was still stuck on Neal when it was so clear Neal wanted nothing to do with him.

He bared his teeth to her, almost like a mad dog. "You can't keep me from my son."

She shook her head. "Are you really this fucking mental? I'm not keeping him from you. He left on his own. I can't believe you actually think this shit is still about him. What the hell is wrong with you?"

Emma truly could not believe Gold thought this was all about Neal. It was about the mess he caused trying to go after Neal and ruining whatever lives he could, especially Regina's. How could he not understand that?

"Something is really cracked in you, you know?" Emma said.

"I won't be kept from my son. I found him once. I moved Heaven and Earth to find him—" Gold began to rant.

"Stop! Don't you get that's the problem? You keep going to these damned extremes for him when he doesn't want to be found."

"He was fine until Regina interfered."

"No, he wasn't. Emotions ran high when it looked like he might be all right with you, but that wouldn't have lasted. And, do you think he'd never find out about Regina? Do you plan to just keep lying to the people you claim to love?" Emma glared at him.

"You don't get to tell me how to take care of people I love. You don't know anything about it, after all," he countered.

She growled at him and really just wanted to punch him in the face. But, she knew he wanted to get a rise out of her. He was upset his son had left with the child he did not care about. He was upset things had not worked out for him, gone according to his plan. Well, she would not let him work her over.

"You're right. I don't know a damn thing about it," Emma admitted. She did not know anything about what he considered love or proper care. She did not want to know. "Now, if you'll excuse me." She almost said she had her son to go get, but she did not want to risk him starting up.

So, she just walked by Gold, resisting the urge to bump him with her shoulder. She did not need to be immature here. She had the upper hand. He could seethe all he wanted, but she did not owe him anything. None of his behavior would get Neal back. Whatever he plotted and planned, he would never get his son back, not until he figured out he had two children and he needed to treat them both like actual people.

Once Emma was in the mansion, she could hear Henry upstairs. "Regina's right. The kid does clomp," she realized.

While Henry packed up more of his stuff, Emma just wandered the place. She ended up in Regina's bedroom. The bed was made, but oddly enough, everything else was gone. Going into the en suite, she saw all of the toiletries, makeup, and whatever other personal items were gone as well. The first time out, Regina had taken everything, like she knew she was not coming back.

Emma's heart felt strangled in her chest. This was not fair. Regina had lost hope before they even left. _Doesn't she believe we can save her?_ Not that any of those books had helped.

"Hey, bud," Emma called Henry.

"Yeah?"

"Come here."

Henry trotted over from his own room. "Why are you in Mom's room?"

"What do you think of this?" she asked, motioning around the room. _Maybe I'm overreacting. I mean, I know Regina pretty well, but Henry knows her, too. So, maybe he'll rein me in_.

He looked around and blinked. "Oh, wow. The bathroom, too?"

Emma nodded. "Yeah, the bathroom, too."

Rubbing the back of his neck, Henry let out a loud breath that made his shoulders slump. "So… I guess I should really pack, huh?"

He seemed quite nonchalant about this, which was weird to her. His life was here, after all. Ten years. It could not be that easy, right?

"You don't mind?" Emma asked with an arched eyebrow.

"I want to be with Mom and if she thinks we're going to be gone for… however long this is, then no, I don't mind. She needs us. She's the important thing."

Emma smiled. _He's certainly more mature than the kid I met a couple of years ago_. It was saddening to know Neverland probably did this to him, but at least something positive came out of that whole horror show. "And we can come back here for visits and stuff until we work out how to help her."

He nodded. "Right."

If Henry was comfortable with it, then she guessed it was fine and she would not try to talk him out of it. "Kid, you think I could leave you here for a bit while I go see my parents?" He had a lot to pack and she had nothing better to do.

He gave her a look. "Emma, I'm eleven."

Emma had no idea what that was supposed to mean. At eleven, she often watched herself, and younger kids, plenty of times, but she was not sure if that was right or not. Her foster families were hard to judge normal things by. _Would Regina just leave him here alone?_ Probably not, but Regina was borderline overprotective, even as she was not quite so mad at the world now.

"I'll be okay," he insisted, waving her off.

Emma almost bought that. "Nah. You know what, I'll call them, meet them at _Granny's_ , and while I talk to them you can go get some more comic books, then we can grab lunch with them if you want or get it as takeout and eat it here." Maybe he would want a last meal in his home since they had no idea how long it would be before they were in the mansion again as more than just this hollowed husk.

Henry shrugged. It seemed to work out either way for him. So, she called up her parents while Henry moved more things into the car. He seemed to be intent on cleaning out his room, just as his mother had done while Emma paced the foyer on the phone with her parents.

"Look, we can catch up at _Granny's_. I gotta feed the kid, after all," Emma said. They kept asking if she was all right, if she was back home, and a million other questions in under two minutes. _You weren't this damned concerned in Neverland_.

"Henry's here, too? Are you going to stay with us?" Mary Margaret inquired.

 _Hell, no_. Emma did not want that headache. She just wanted to have a civil conversation with her parents without them second-guessing her actions or treating her like she had no idea what she was doing. She had gotten along pretty well for twenty-nine years without them. She would not wither and die without their advice.

"We can talk about it at _Granny's_ ," Emma replied.

"But, Emma, why not just come home?" Mary Margaret inquired.

 _Because it doesn't feel like home_. It stopped being home when Mary Margaret actually stopped being Mary Margaret. It felt awkward now, reminding her of her foster homes. _No, no, no. They're not temporary parents_. She knew they did not see themselves that way, so she had to make sure she did not see them that way. _But, isn't that part of the problem? They think they can do whatever they want and it'll be fine because I'll always be here like a goober_. She shook this thought away.

"Look, I gotta go. See you in a few." Emma hung up immediately and rubbed her forehead. _Why do I keep having these thoughts, these feelings about them?_ She scoffed. _Because they ran out on you, dumped you, and still plan to leave you if they can figure out how to get back to the Enchanted Forest. They're like any other place you've been, people you've met_.

Thankfully, Henry called for her help to take her mind off of things. She went to help him break down some bigger items that he wanted to take with him. The containers with his comics were a bitch to carry. He was not lying about having quite the collection. They even managed to get his bike on the SUV.

Once he was done, they were off to _Granny's,_ where Mary Margaret and David were waiting right outside. Henry greeted his grandparents with smiles and hugs. He then made himself scarce, disappearing into the comic book store right on the corner.

David laughed. "Wow, that was quick. I guess comics are more important than grandparents, huh?" He turned to Emma.

Emma shrugged. "He probably thinks he missed out."

"It's so nice to see you, Emma." Mary Margaret hugged her. "Should we go in?" She motioned to the door.

Emma glanced inside and saw how busy it was. "No, let's walk a little." No sense in possibly making a scene. "Just enjoy each other for a while."

"So, are you back?" David asked as they started to walk the block.

"Nah, just had to pick up more of Regina's books," Emma replied.

"Emma, I really wished you would talk about this with us before you rush off again," Mary Margaret said.

"What's to talk about? I'm trying to help Regina. She's doing so good and she doesn't need me to just abandon her in the middle of that," Emma argued. Regina was probably doing the best she had in her life right now and Emma felt like she was not doing so bad herself. Yes, it had only been for a week, but things felt pretty good.

"We're not saying that. We're just saying that you should talk to us and maybe we can come up with a plan," David said, motioning to himself and Mary Margaret.

"This is a plan. Regina isn't losing a battle and turning into a demon where she might kill everyone in town and we're going to figure out a way to get her back here," Emma explained. It was a good plan, so good Regina had actually considered it herself before Emma threw it out there.

"Maybe she should just stay gone," David said.

Emma gasped and glared at him. _What the hell?_ "This is her home as much as anyone else's. She was willing to die to save it. So, if she wants to come back, she should be able to. Plus, she's doing good. She's calm and she wants to be that way."

"That's good," Mary Margaret said, but she sounded a little hesitant.

"Well, I think as people start to realize she's gone, they seem happier without her, so maybe she should stay gone," David pointed out.

Emma scoffed. "I don't care if they are. She has just as much right to here as they do."

"She's the reason we are here. She transported us here against our will. We don't get the chance to come and go as we please," David argued. "Why should she?"

"Okay, so are we charging and trying Regina for mass kidnappings and holding people against their will?" Emma asked. While the crime was true, they could not go to court with magical evidence.

"We just don't think it's best for you or Henry to devote so much of your energy to this. You should be here with your family," Mary Margaret said.

Emma scowled. Okay, she would take it that her mother did not think it was best for her to devote so much energy to this, but Henry? This was his mother for crying out loud! Regina was Henry's family. Before she could say anything to that, David chimed in.

"It raises people's morale to see you around, too. Gives them hope." David puffed his chest out a little, proud that she was a hero to people, but not proud of her for doing the right thing.

Emma scoffed. Really, this was the argument? She did not care about being visible to give people hope. She cared about this town, as it was the closest thing she had to a home and she wanted to protect these people, yes. And, to protect them, she needed to help Regina because this was Regina's home, too. She wanted to do the right thing and do right by the most people she could.

"We'll be back soon and Regina will be fine and everyone will see she's changed and it'll be good," Emma replied. It seemed true enough and she hoped it would get her parents to stop saying these things. None of their points mattered to her.

This time David scoffed. "We give Regina chances all the time and she never changes."

"Oh, so you mean she saved your asses back in the Enchanted Forest that one time, too?" Emma remarked.

"You don't know her like we know her," Mary Margaret huffed.

At this point, she felt like Regina might be the only one she knew. "I don't think you guys know her like I do."

"She'll literally stab you in the back," Mary Margaret stated and rubbed a spot in her abdomen, where Regina undoubtedly once literally stabbed her because, come on, it was Regina.

Emma rolled her eyes. There were too many times when Regina could have done that to her and had not. Regina had changed and probably had started when she accidentally poisoned Henry. It had been slow and there had been steps back, but she was moving forward. She just needed support, which was where they went wrong before. Hell, it was probably where her parents went wrong with all of the other chances.

"Do either of you know what it's like to never have anyone there for you?" Emma asked curiously. She knew all too well what it was like to always be told she would never be good enough, never be good, and would never amount to anything. She doubted her parents knew what that was like, but Regina probably knew it even better than she did.

"I was there for her!" Mary Margaret hissed, pointing to herself. Her eyes were wide, glistening.

Emma felt a little jolt through her heart. She understood her mother still cared about Regina, but probably did not want to. Even this hurt Emma just a bit. Her mother had been there more for Regina, who they swore did not deserve it, than she had been there for Emma. Emma was not worth it? _Stop it_.

"Snow was there for her more times than Regina deserved. You're wasting your time and you're needed here," David stated.

"I'm where I'm needed most," Emma countered.

"Regina just going to use you until she can't get anything else out of you," Mary Margaret argued.

Emma did not even know where to begin with _that_. Why was this even up for debate? She had made a decision and she would stick with it. Worse than not helping Regina would be to offer help and drop her in the middle of it. All she would be doing was proving to Regina she was not worth the effort and Emma knew all too well the agony this caused.

"You guys don't get it," Emma grumbled.

"No, you don't get it, Emma," David said. Most of the time, whenever David did this "dad" thing, Emma actually liked it. But, this time, the "stern parent" in his voice made her want to punch something. She was not some petulant child to be talked down to.

Thankfully, Henry returned with a bag of comics and new conversation. Emma could only wonder what Henry saw in her face as he locked eyes with her because he immediately went to showing his grandparents his comics. He talked about the comics and upcoming movies about those comics.

Emma turned them around, going to _Granny's_. She decided to stick around so Henry could spend some real time with his grandparents. She did not have anything else to say to them, though. Who were they to dictate her life to her? She was a grown ass woman.

"So, Henry, ready to come home?" Mary Margaret asked with a smile as they settled into a booth.

Damn it, they were barely even in their seats. Emma glared at her mother from across the table. Mary Margaret did not even seem to notice, eyes totally on Henry.

Henry shrugged. "I'm enjoying New York. Plenty of stuff to see and do. I get to hang out with my dad. Emma and Mom are getting along. It's pretty cool."

David arched an eyebrow and actually laughed, like it was all so unbelievable. "Emma and Regina are getting along?"

"Yeah. You know, Emma's being helpful and Mom appreciates it. It's nice," Henry answered.

Emma smiled a little. It was good that Henry was enjoying all of his parents. Maybe they all needed a break. Emma felt pretty good this week, even with all of the researching and having to share space with Neal. She had eaten better this week than ever before, as Regina made sure to cook all meals after that first dinner of pizza a week ago.

"Hey, it's my favorite family," Ruby said as she stepped up to take their orders. "How's it going, Emma? Hook was looking for you before he decided to leave a couple of days ago."

Emma scoffed. "Glad he did that. I'm cool. You?"

Ruby shrugged. "Can't complain. You want a grilled cheese?"

Emma smiled, happy for the piece of familiarity. "You know I do."

Ruby jotted it down and then turned to Henry. "I don't see your mom around, so I'm guessing I can sneak you a milkshake?"

Henry grinned. "You're the best, Ruby."

Ruby laughed and fanned herself. "I know. I know. If only we could all be me… you know, except for that one time of the month."

Emma and Henry laughed while Ruby just smiled at them. Mary Margaret looked like she was about to say something, but decided against it. Ruby took food orders and rubbed the top of Henry's head. This got giggles out of Henry and then Ruby was gone. Mary Margaret wasted no time to go right back to the conversation.

"So, I was about to say, vacations end and it'll be just as nice when you come back here," Mary Margaret said.

Henry frowned, like the words zapped the happiness right out of him. "I guess. Right now, I just want Mom to be okay and to enjoy time with my parents."

"And there's nothing wrong with that," Emma said, hoping her mother would get the hint to stop trying to make Henry feel guilty or trying to persuade him to feel a certain way.

"I'm not saying there is. It would be nice to spend time with us, too, though, right?" Mary Margaret asked.

"Yeah, this is nice." Henry shrugged. "I think it's just hard for people to spend every moment with all of their favorite people. Even with my parents, it's hard to get in time with them. It just happens."

Emma was proud of his mature response. He had grown so much in such a short time. It was a bit sad this happened more than likely because of Neverland and now due to worry over his mother, but it was there now. Hopefully, they would be able to give him a normal childhood after this.

"That's true, but wouldn't it be easier if your favorite people were all in the same place?" Mary Margaret pressed.

"It would, but they're not always," Henry replied.

Emma was actually glad to get up from the table at the end of lunch. Her parents wore her out. Regina was right. They were oblivious and they sort of just kept on their track of thinking, no matter what she said. To take her mind off of them, she went to visit with Ruby a bit, stepping off into the back near the kitchen.

"I'd love to be able to see New York… or new anywhere for that matter," Ruby joked, but Emma knew there was truth to it.

Emma sighed. "Maybe one day. I won't give up on this curse just because I'm trying to help Regina deal with going nuclear."

"That is important work. I'm surprised Regina cares. She didn't even come by to help put the diner back together after she blew it up," Ruby said.

Emma shook her head. "She was already losing control. I don't think you'd want her in the diner right now. Hell, she probably blew the diner up because she lost control for a split second. Without magic, though, she's doing good, like a whole new Regina."

Ruby laughed a little. "I'd like to see that. I heard she killed someone in the supermarket."

"Yeah, but she didn't mean it. She healed her right after it happened. But, out there, without magic, she hasn't even yelled at anybody and New York is full of rude fuckers who deserve it. I think she's getting into a good head space."

"I know what that's like to be so out of control. I actually feel for her."

Emma chuckled. "I know it's wild when you can empathize with Regina, but you'll see when she comes back that she's getting better."

"People are saying she's a demon. Is that true?"

Emma eyed Ruby. "Who said that?" If Mary Margaret told, Emma was not sure what she would do.

"Just people. Some of them know the signs of a demon."

"Yeah, well, some of them need to mind their own damn business. Regina's doing better and she's going to come back here better and everyone can see she's not a damn demon." Damn small towns and their rumors.

"Well, at least I'll have some good news to tell Tink. She's really worried."

"Yeah. You know, you can float her my number and I'll give her updates if Regina's cool with it. In time, Regina might even want to talk to her." She knew Regina would like to consider Tinker Bell a friend.

"I hope so. Regina's really the only thing Tink has tying her to this place since she's given up on the fairies."

Emma shook her head. "That's not true."

"How so?"

"It seems like she has you and you're always good people to have, Rubes."

Ruby smiled. "Thanks."

"I promise I haven't forgotten about you either. We will get you to see new… whatever the hell your heart desires." Emma grinned. Yeah, Storybrooke could be annoying, but there were decent folks here, like Ruby, who deserved a chance to live a nice, normal life.

"I know you won't."

"Don't be a stranger either while I'm gone. Feel free to use my number and let me know what's going on around here, okay?"

Ruby agreed and they parted ways after that. Emma really wanted to get back to Regina to make sure everything was all right. Henry was fairly eager to get back as well. She wondered if Storybrooke did not feel like home to him anymore as well. _So much has changed_.

Emma had to endure her parents once more when she and Henry were about to leave. Again, they questioned her about when she was coming back and such. She sighed in relief when Storybrooke was in the rearview mirror, even though she thought for a split second she saw Gold in the mirror. It was just a second, though. For some reason, she would rather see him than her parents as she left.

She really wanted her parents and it was nice to see they seemed to want her, too. But, it also seemed like they were interested in dictating terms to her. This was never a good thing to her when it came to parents. It was always something that was later used to justify why she needed to go back to the group home. _Well, there is no group home to go back to_. Unfortunately, it felt like there was no home point blank to go back to. _Then, why the hell does it feel like I'm going home?_

-8-8-8-8-

Next time: life in New York and bad news for Emma.


	12. The Details

I don't own these characters. I also don't own Supernatural, which gets a mention here.

12: The Details

With Emma and Henry gone, back in Storybrooke, Regina had decided to see the city. Neal insisted on showing her around. She allowed him to do so. It would give them both a chance to learn each other's tastes and get to know each other a little better.

"So, you wanna go to a tourist spot or just hang out somewhere?" Neal asked as they exited the apartment.

"I will concede to you," Regina replied. She felt like she was dressed for almost any situation, provided they did not find themselves at a formal dinner. The pantsuit and vest was one of her favorite outfits and made her feel a little more like herself, whoever "herself" was. It drowned out the little rumble in her stomach that she was certain was anxiety. What if being out in a world without magic did not work, after all?

"Okay. Do you eat sweets by any chance?" he inquired with a bit of a twinkle in his eye, like hope. He was dressed for anything casual, or dumpster diving. She was not sure which, but promised herself she would not judge.

"I eat them on occasion."

"There's a great bakery down the street. I also know an ice cream/frozen yogurt spot. And, since this is New York, we could get some cheesecake. Instead of you cooking, tonight we can go to this Italian place I liked. Or there's a good Greek place, too." As he spoke, a smile never felt his face and his eyes shined bright, reminding her a little of Henry.

Regina smiled. He was trying so hard and he had this boyish charm. Before, she thought she could understand how he was Rumple's son, but now, it seemed like a distant memory. He did not seem like the type of person to abandon seventeen-year-old Emma.

"You like books? I mean, more than your spell books and stuff. Like regular books. Anyway, there's a bookstore right down there." Neal pointed down the street as soon as they hit outside.

"A bookstore might be nice," Regina replied. She had been to bookstores before, but he was eager, so she would oblige. Besides, there might be something there she liked.

The bookstore actually turned out to be a pleasant surprise. It was quaint, nothing like the massive stores she had been to in Boston while waiting for approval to take Henry home a lifetime ago. There were plenty of books, some new and others secondhand. She flipped through many and Neal just stood back quietly, watching her.

"Do you want anything? My treat," he eventually said, flashing his teeth briefly in a smile.

She smiled back. "That's kind of you." It was especially kind since she knew he did not have money to burn like she did.

He gave her a nonchalant shrug, like it was no big deal. "You've been feeding me. I'm obligated to be kind to you."

She chuckled a bit and picked up a few books. Neal insisted on paying and she glanced at his wallet. He would not be able to splurge for long, but she would let him for now. Eventually, she hoped he would let her return the favor.

They wandered the city for a while. The buildings were amazing, but the noise was a headache. The air seemed a little thick from the smell, but somehow the awful din added to it. She could not believe how many people were out and about, tourists, businessmen, joggers, mothers, students, dog walkers, and everything in between while vendors sold food on every corner. Manhattan might have had more people than the entire world she was from. It was a lot to process, but Neal stayed close and explained what he could to her. He showed her Central Park, which was no substitute for actual greenery. Neal agreed.

"This was one of the hardest things to get used to when I left the old world. Where Wendy and her brothers lived, it was even worse. The sky was almost black and the smell… I always felt like I was choking," Neal said.

"It had to be quite a shock to go from the Enchanted Forest to that," Regina said. Hell, going from Maine to New York was a shock and she had been to big cities before. This was beyond, though.

"It was for a while, but then I got too busy to notice. Trying to save Wendy and her brothers got me all tangled up with Pan and Hook. After that, life went too fast to really be in shock over anything."

She made a low noise as they continued through the park. As much as it lacked in the ways of a real forest, she imagined she would enjoy watching Henry run around, trying to do all that the park offered. He would ride his bike or try to skateboard like so many other people around them and she would worry, but he would be happy.

"Why were you so scared about returning to the Enchanted Forest?" she asked.

"I just didn't want to go back my dad. I knew I was becoming a possession to him and he hurt people for me, like really hurt people. I didn't want to be responsible for any more deaths." He shrugged a little, but a frown marred his features for the first time today. She disliked this.

Giving Neal a sidelong glance, Regina took a chance and just brushed her fingers against his hand. She was surprised how familiar it felt. "You know you weren't responsible for his actions."

Taking a deep breath, he sighed. "I know, but it still scared the hell out of me, which was why when August came up to me and told me he knew who I was, I panicked. I couldn't go back there. I couldn't risk my father finding me. I couldn't risk more lives."

She nodded. "Noble to a fault. No wonder Emma fell for you. But, not completely noble, as you did put her out of your mind and move on eventually." This might be the hardest thing for her to get over with Neal. He seemed like a good person, but there was this one thing. How could he claim to love someone and just never think of her again? To this day, Daniel was never far from her thoughts.

He let loose a nervous laugh and pulled his mouth up to one side of his face briefly. "Just trying to live my life. I figured she'd move on, break the Curse, and be a hero or whatever. I didn't think she'd think about me ever again. I mean, you know how heroes are in our world."

She shook her head. "Noble to a fault." It was a little amazing how he could justify everything, but someone like him probably had to do that or he would lose his mind to realize he was not as noble as he wished he was. Of course, she somewhat understood, as she used to justify every wrong she ever did as well, unable to accept she was actually evil, even if she tried to revel in the title.

He shrugged. "Yeah, feels like it's done nothing but kick me in the ass all my life. It costs me the person who was probably the one." A brief scowl settled on his face, but he shook it away quickly.

She frowned a little, but kept her emotions in check. Emma would not give him the time of day. Emma might tolerate him for Henry's sake, but nothing more. Oh, she should probably tell him that she and Emma agreed he could be Henry's father if he was serious about the matter. Before she got to that, though, a man walked over to her.

"Excuse me, I don't mean to interrupt, but you look like someone I know," the man said. He was well dressed with an expensive watch dangling from his wrist and a stylish tie around his neck.

"I doubt it," Regina replied.

"Perhaps, but perhaps not. If you feel like you might need to get to know me…" He pulled out a card and handed it to her.

"Hey, pal, excuse you." Neal huffed and glared the man down.

The man's eyes went wide, as if he just noticed Neal. "Calm down. I'm just giving her a chance to upgrade if she wants to." He then smiled at Regina and walked away.

"That was odd," Regina commented. She was not used to men hitting on her. They had been too terrified to do so in the Enchanted Forest, both when she was just the queen and then the Evil Queen, and too… brainwashed to do it in Storybrooke.

Neal scowled. "You've got to watch yourself out here. New York is full of con artists."

"Like the one next to me?" she teased.

Neal snorted, but his eyes twinkled a little, and they continued on their way. They came out of the park and Neal showed her to cafe, or that was what he called it. It seemed like a cross between a cafe and a bar. They sat at a small table for two and ordered drinks. For a moment, they just people-watched out of the window.

"So, Emma and I were talking," Regina said.

"About?" Neal asked. He leaned back in his chair, like he was trying to be cool.

Regina absently tapped the table. "You being a father to Henry. You seem interested in doing so, but I need you to understand I am his mother and Emma is his mother. You can't come into his life and stir up what we already have."

Neal nodded and swallowed so hard she heard it. "Wow…" His lip quivered and he rested his elbows on the table as he put his chin in his hands. "I didn't… I didn't expect you to make this decision so soon. Wow…" He rubbed his forehead.

"If you do not wish this…" She trailed off, not wanting to say it aloud. Henry was too hopeful for this to turn sour and she would not wish that on him.

"No, no, no!" Neal waved his hands in front of her. "I do wish this. Gods, I do! I'm just… gobsmacked by this. I mean, I get a sister, I get a kid, and now you're telling me it's okay for me to be his dad. I want to do so right by him. I hate that so many parts of me turned out like my dad anyway. I don't want that to happen to Henry. I'll be there for him." His voice was strong, making his statement believable.

Regina smiled. "That's good."

Before they could talk about anything else, a waitress placed a drink in front of Regina, who eyed it as if it was something foul. "I didn't order this."

The waitress shook her head. "The guy at the bar insisted." She pointed over to the gentleman and he raised his glass to her.

"Are you kidding me?" Neal groaned and then turned to Regina. "Don't drink it or you'll encourage him."

Regina took Neal's word for it and waved the drink away. The man at the bar pouted, but did not do anything. The attention was flattering from him and the man in the park. This might be something worth exploring one day. Her heart sped up a little, which she figured was due to anticipation. It was nice to be wanted, to be attractive.

"So, Henry's been telling me about his childhood. He makes you sound like some kind of domestic goddess," Neal remarked.

Regina blinked in surprise. "Henry said that?" This was a far cry from the monster of a mother he made her out to be to Emma.

"Oh, he doesn't stop talking about you. I wish I had a mom like you."

She shook her head. "No, you don't. I made him think he was crazy."

"Yeah, he mentioned that, but he doesn't stop talking about before that time. He really appreciated all of the time you spent with him and the things you did for him. I wish my mother spent time with me."

And this one wish got them spending the rest of the night talking about their mothers. Neal had not had a great one, more interested in drinking and gallivanting around with men who were not her husband than raising her son. He was very neglected and felt like his mother had grown to hate him and his father for reasons he could not figure out. She opened up somewhat about her abuse, but focused more on her mother's attempt to use her. He had been a possession to his father and she had been one to her mother.

"I guess we hit the parenting lottery, huh?" Neal said, holding up his beer. She just tilted her glass of wine to him.

-8-8-8-8-

Regina met Emma at the rental car place to pick Emma up. Emma had already dropped off Henry and all of their things. It was a good thing they had rented the SUV, though. Henry had practically brought back his whole room and Emma had seriously packed up the whole crypt, except for the secret room. But, Regina probably would never need her Evil Queen garments again.

Emma moaned as she settled into the passenger seat of the Benz. "I never thought I'd be so happy to see New York again."

"Things in Storybrooke tough?" Regina asked.

"I think Gold threatened me. He met me at your house and was just really pissed."

Regina glanced at her. "Over what?"

"He made it sound like I smuggled Neal out of Storybrooke. He'll probably keep trying to get to Neal."

"Neal won't let him, but we'll keep an eye out for him. How were things beyond Gold being Gold?"

"Annoying, especially my parents. They seem to think I'm the same age as Henry, or maybe younger."

Regina sighed. "I suppose you can give them time. Things turned around with me and Henry." Henry described her in glowing terms now, so it was possible for anyone to turn it around.

"You both want things to work and you're willing to compromise. I don't think they are." Emma paused for a moment, as if trying to put it all out of her mind. "Anyway, let's not talk about them. How were the last couple of days with Neal?"

Regina could not help the small smile that settled on her face. "Fine. He helped me start a search for an apartment, recognizing and understanding we cannot all fit in his place for an extended period of time."

Emma frowned a bit and her body tensed briefly. "He's so reasonable with you."

"Well, I am his younger sister. You, on the other hand, he admits is the one who got away."

Rolling her eyes, Emma folded her arms across her chest in a huff. "The one he let go away is more like it."

Regina glanced at Emma. "Is this really bothering you? It's not fair to you if you're truly uncomfortable with him." Emma had been more than accommodating for her and she refused to allow Emma to put up with something that bothered her.

Emma waved it all off. "No, no, no. I'm fine, just bitter. I'll get over it. You and Henry like him, will probably grow to love him. I'll work it out."

"You shouldn't have to be uncomfortable."

"I'll be fine, but thanks for the thought."

Regina sighed. She wished there was someway to make this better for Emma. Hopefully, Neal would make things right with Emma. It was not fair for Emma, who was so helpful and chivalrous, to go through this mess with her parents and also have to deal with Neal while trying to help Regina with the impossible.

"You know, you can stay with me," Regina said in a low voice.

Emma gasped like a fish out of water, with big, bug eyes to match. "I could?"

"So, you won't be alone or with Neal. Henry will, of course, adore it. Plus, we can continue to research together. The books here might actually be helpful. I found a gem in a bookstore on the corner."

Emma smiled for the first time that night. "Okay." With luck, this would keep Emma's spirits up for a while.

-8-8-8-8-

They had been in New York for over a month now. Emma bounced back between Regina's apartment and Neal's place. She spent most of her time in Regina's place, though. Neal seemed to be under the impression that he could win her back and she did not like encouraging him, especially considering both she and Regina had already talked to him about making her uncomfortable. Plus, Regina needed the company when Henry was out with Neal.

Staying with Regina was not as weird as she thought it would be. Regina was, as always, an excellent hostess. She had even gotten a three-bedroom apartment, so Emma had her own room. It choked her up a little because it was the first time in her life at having her own room in a place that was not her own. Regina just always made time and space for her in her life now.

She and Regina still researched, but Regina took breaks more often now. Sometimes, they went walking in Central Park. It was nice, even though Regina was not a real fan of the park. Regina attracted the attention of pets, small children, some women, and tons of men. Emma stood back, arms folded across her chest and frowning, as some bozo in a nice suit tried to sweet talk Regina, just like the million other fools had tried. Regina smiled and flirted back and then walked away when he handed her a card.

"You have, like, a douchebag magnet in your purse when we come out," Emma huffed. Frowning even more, she kept her arms across her chest. It burned her up whenever she saw this idiots approach Regina, like they thought they were entitled to her time.

Regina laughed. "He was fine, as are most of the men who approach me. It's a good distraction. The women who approach me are also fine, now that I think about it."

Emma sucked her teeth. "You're not even gay."

Regina gave her a side eyed glance. "One, I can be flattered by anyone's attention. Two, you have no idea what I am."

Emma snorted as they continued on their way. "Anyway." She did not want to get into that conversation right now.

"If this bothers you, you should see what happens when I go to the library to continue research while you're working."

Emma scowled. She had taken a few jobs, not wanting to just mooch on Regina. It cut into her research time, but they had already gone through most of Regina's books anyway. Regina was now making use of the New York City public library, as well as the libraries of many of the universities around the city and the many bookstores. Regina actually seemed happy when she was in any library. Emma thought it was weird, but did not mention that.

They had not gotten much so far from their research. It was a good thing Regina did not seem to be bothered by her magic out here. Still, she had promised to help and get Regina home. So far, she had not been able to keep that vow.

"I'm surprised at how hard this is. I mean, _Supernatural_ makes it look so easy to stop demons," Emma remarked.

Regina rolled her eyes. "You mean kill demons. It's not that hard in the Enchanted Forest either. They're rarer than dragons, but slain just the same or banished."

Emma grinned. "I love that Henry and I have corrupted you enough that you know what _Supernatural_ is."

A short scoff escaped Regina. "You think you've corrupted me? I'm the one with the demonic power inside of me."

"We'll figure it out. I'm going to actually take a trip back to Storybrooke. Maybe for the weekend or something. Just visit with my parents." Emma wanted to make the effort, as Regina always encouraged her. Things could turn around. They had not yet, but Regina always pointed out things took time and patience. As long as Regina pushed her, she supposed she would keep trying. Hopefully, they would turn that corner.

Beyond that, she wanted to find out if Gold had anything cooking. She had spoken to Ruby a couple of times and Ruby did not have much to report on Gold, but he was a sneaky bastard.

Regina nodded. "That sounds fine. You should see if Henry wants to go."

"Why, so you get go on a date with one of your stalkers?" Emma tossed Regina a teasing grin.

Regina rolled her eyes once more. It would not surprise Emma if Regina started dating. She seemed to have adjusted to city life, more or less. She liked trying things and she had more than enough phone numbers to find someone to show her new things.

"You should see if Henry wants to go as you deserve some time with him as much as the rest of us," Regina pointed out.

Emma nodded and was silently shocked by how generous Regina was being. What if out here the demonic powers actually just made Regina act weird? Of course, she knew that was not the case and she did not even joke about. Maybe just being out in the city, away from everything, allowed Regina to grow a little and this growth made her rather kind to Emma.

Later in the day, Emma threw the idea out to Henry about going to Storybrooke and, of course, Henry was all hyped up to go. So, they were on a road trip again to Storybrooke. Regina rented a car for them again, not wanting to rely on Emma's "death trap" to deliver them to Maine and back. Emma rolled her eyes at this while Henry tittered over it.

"Traitor," Emma grumbled and playfully shoved him.

"You should be setting the table," Regina said as she stepped out of the kitchen with salad in her arms. Neal stood behind her with a platter of buttered red potatoes.

They were in Regina's apartment, which had elegant arches throughout the living room. French doors opened to a small balcony and lit up the dining room during daylight hours. A small glass table with just enough room for the four of them sat in the center of the room. Emma and Henry had been in the middle of setting it. They had gotten as far as putting out plates.

"You got us in trouble," Henry snickered, cutting his eyes to Emma.

Shaking her head, Emma playfully pushed him again. "You're such a traitor." He giggled and they got back to setting the table to eat.

-8-8-8-8-

Emma liked traveling with Henry and having this alone time with him. Henry was great to ride with and he was excited about so many things, not many of them had to do with going back home, though. Then, she remembered how he did not have any real friends there and how out of the three grandparents he had, only two of them were actually worth spending any time with and those two wasted a lot of his time trying to convince him his mother was worthless.

"Do you think Mom will ever actually want to come back here? She seems like she's enjoying New York," Henry said.

Emma shook her head. "I think she's fine with New York for now. You're there and Neal's there."

"And you're there," he chimed in with a grin.

Emma just smiled. Deep down, she knew she meant something to Regina, but it was nice to have it acknowledged. It was also nice that someone else saw it, so she was not being delusional or anything.

"She seemed really interested in a book when we left. It had a lot of symbols and stuff in it," Henry said.

"It did. She said it was some old book about summoning demons and casting out demons and stuff like that." She had read through some of it. It was full of symbols and spells, but she was not sure if they could trust a spell book from this realm. After all, there was no magic here. So, what did anyone here know about magic? Regina seemed to think otherwise.

"Maybe it has an answer and we can move back soon."

"Do you want to move back?" Emma asked. He seemed rather focused on this.

Henry shrugged. "I dunno. I like New York right now. Yeah, Storybrooke is home and everything, but I'm the happiest I've ever been right now."

Emma did not even need to think about it. "Me, too."

Henry just smiled at her. Emma called her parents when they were in town. Over the past month, Emma had called them about once a week. They never called and she never asked why, more scared of the answer than curious. Out of sight, out of mind? Possibly.

"Hey, I'm going to go get ice cream or something," Henry said as soon as Emma parked the car by the loft.

Emma just nodded and handed him money. He was trying to give her some time alone with her parents, which was cool. Of course, without someone to push her, she might not go in. Mary Margaret and David seemed to forget about her much of the time and she hated to see the surprise on their faces when they opened the door, as if they did not know who she was. _No, no, no. It's like Regina always tells me. It just takes time_. A month might not be enough. It took Regina a year and some trauma.

Taking a deep breath, she went to the loft and knocked on the door. When the door swung open, Emma found herself in engulfed in a hug by Mary Margaret. She was yanked into the apartment and then pulled into another hug by David. There was a lot of love in the embraces and for a moment, Emma was able to breathe easy. They loved her. Things could get better and would as long as she worked on it.

As David released her, she looked around the loft. She blinked to make sure she was not seeing things. Okay, something was going on here and her stomach dropped before she even figured out what.

"What's with the boxes? You guys moving?" Emma inquired, pointing around the apartment. Almost everything was boxed up.

"Oh, yeah!" Mary Margaret grinned and actually clapped. She practically bubbled over with excitement. "We just bought a new house. We just need more space and this loft is Mary Margaret and I'm not her."

Emma winced. She was Mary Margaret to her. Mary Margaret was the first real friend she had who she could truly trust. But, she had to admit to herself much of Mary Margaret vanished when the Curse broke. It broke her heart, especially to find out her mother did not want to be Mary Margaret. Her mother did not want to be her friend.

"We're used to more space anyway," David said, which seemed completely unnecessary to Emma.

"Okay. I guess that's cool," Emma replied, feeling a little dazed. Her stomach twisted a bit more. She wished they mentioned this on the phone. "So… how come you guys didn't tell me you were moving?" This seemed pretty big. This had been her home with them and they were just going to shed it like extra skin.

Mary Margaret waved her off. "We're telling you now."

Emma blinked. "But, that's not the same." Why were they so nonchalant about this?

Her parents looked at her, like she was being strange. Maybe she was. She wished Regina was here to help her through this. Instead, she decided to just go down a different discussion path.

"So, what have you been up to?" Emma asked. Of course, on the phone, all her parents really talked about their exploits and try to convince her to come back. Maybe letting them ramble on about themselves, she would be able to adjust to this idea that they were moving and had not thought to tell her. "Caught any villains lately?"

"Yes, some even from the Enchanted Forest. People have actually been asking the Council when Regina was coming back so they could jail her for what she did," Mary Margaret said.

Emma blinked, feeling lost already. "The Council? Jail Regina?" What the hell was going on?

"Well, we don't have a mayor anymore. So, we put together a council to rule."

Emma squinted. "Rule? Put together? The people didn't vote on it? Lemme guess, it's full of royals from your realm." Maybe this was why Regina thrived outside of Storybrooke. She just was not meant for that realm. _That makes two of us_.

"Well, we do have ruling experience," Mary Margaret replied lightly, as if that counted for anything.

"Do you guys sit on thrones during council meetings?" Emma asked, actually serious.

"Emma." Mary Margaret gave her a stern look, like she was crazy for inquiring. "Someone needs to be in charge and we have experience."

"From the medieval times!" Emma pointed out.

"Yes, and all of the people here are from the same place. They need us," David replied. Emma did not follow the logic.

"One of the good things about democracy is that you can be in charge without experience. What the hell? If you guys can't get back to the Enchanted Forest you'll recreate it here? It wasn't that awesome," Emma huffed.

Her parents scowled. "Well, maybe not to you, but it's home for us and one day we'll get back there. Until then, we're stuck here and we'll run it the way we think works," David stated.

"By taking away the rights people have from living here, in this realm, in this country? Is the jail a dungeon now? The little tiny courthouse has an execution block, too? What the hell?" Emma demanded. Did they ever think there might be some people who liked some things from this realm?

"Whatever it takes to make our citizens feel safe," David said.

"That's not going to make them feel safe. You're just giving them something familiar in the guise of home, but really flipping their lives upside down," Emma argued. Why had Ruby not mentioned this? Mentally, she groaned. _This is what happens when you share a friend with your mother_.

"You're only saying that because you don't know anything about the Enchanted Forest's culture," Mary Margaret said. She almost sounded accusing, like it was Emma's fault that she did not know anything about their land and its customs.

Scoffing, Emma threw her hands out. "I know enough. I've seen the way things are done and I think we've got that beat here. Why are you trying to go backwards? I understand being homesick, but are you going to have all of the plumbing removed, too? Are peasants going to be kicked out of their nice homes so some noble could live there? Is someone building a moat?"

"Don't be ridiculous. Besides, you're not here. We're just meeting the needs of the people here," Mary Margaret argued.

"You keep telling yourself that," Emma said. They were just trying to justify a power grab.

"Look, let's not talk about this. Snow shouldn't get upset, after all," David said.

Emma blinked again, her mind jumbled. That was a weird thing to say and she narrowed her gaze on her father. "What the hell are you talking about now?"

David put his arms around Mary Margaret and they both grinned. "We're waiting to tell people, but you should know, we're pregnant!" Mary Margaret practically chirped.

Emma's body jumped and she felt like she had been shot. She gasped and clutched her chest. She had been gone a month and they had already replaced her. _This is why they never ask about you_. She had been gone trying to help someone and while she did that, they moved out of the first place that felt like home to her without talking to her and they had replaced her. They replaced her. And why not?

They had already abandoned her once and planned to abandon her at least twice since reuniting. They had not been able to raise her, but they could raise this one. This one could be the child they wanted, their little prince or princess, not a juvenile delinquent who had a child out of wedlock.

Suddenly, Emma could not breathe. There just was not enough air. Everything felt heavy, pressing, like it would crush her. The only thing she could do was escape or she was certain she would die. She turned and fled, hopping in the car and meeting Henry on the corner.

"Henry, we're leaving," Emma stated.

He stopped, mid-lick of his cookies and cream ice cream cone. "Huh? Already?"

"Yeah. Come on." She leaned over and opened his door. She was done with this. She was done with all of this.

-8-8-8-8-

Regina stumbled into the apartment, wanting to be quiet. Henry was not home, staying with Neal for the night. She and Emma were supposed to research, but Emma had gone out for food and never made her way back. Regina decided to call a… friend… she was not sure that was the proper term. She had gone on a date. She might have to do it more often, especially since she felt so good. For the past few days, there had been this burn of anxiety in her system, but now it was gone, replaced by a delightful high. She felt empowered and chipper, but the feeling did not last long.

Her attention snapped to the living room as she heard a groan. Flipping on the light, she saw Emma passed out on the sofa. There was an empty bottle in front of her. Regina picked up the bottle and shook her head.

"Her taste in liquor needs to improve," she sighed. This was the fourth time she found Emma unconscious on her couch thanks to alcohol. It was always when Henry was out with Neal, so he did not have to see that, which Regina appreciated. This was no way for Emma to cope, though.

Emma had gotten drunk the first night her return from Storybrooke, after basically begging Henry to stay with Neal for the night. In her despair and drunkenness, she slipped all that ailed her without Regina even needing to ask. Regina had felt a flare inside of her and, for a long moment, something clawed at her skin. She wanted to go tear into the Charmings, but then Emma got sick and she had to take care of her. Once she had been certain Emma was fine, she had gone out on her first date, but it was becoming clear that Emma required more of her attention.

"Perhaps if I give her something to hold onto, it will help a little," Regina considered. She had recently come across something in a book that might keep her power at bay. This could refocus Emma on the mission rather than her drinking so much.

Her discovery would wait until morning, when Emma woke. Well, afternoon. For now, she wanted to take a shower and wash her date off. Yes, it had been satisfying, but she did not need it to linger.

Once she was settled, she returned to the living room with a blanket and a proper pillow. Emma barely made a sound as Regina slid the pillow under her head and covered her the blanket. Sighing, she brushed Emma's hair out of her face.

"I know Snow can be oblivious, but I had no idea she was actually stupid enough to throw her child away," Regina sighed. She was also a little surprised she had this faith in Snow and, of course, Snow would disappoint her. Shaking that away, she went to bed.

In the morning, almost noon, Emma and Regina sat at the table after Emma showered. Emma still had alcohol coming from her pores, but Regina ignored that. Over oatmeal with nuts and fruits, Regina showed Emma a symbol in a book. Emma studied it and, from the way her face scrunched up, it was clear she had no idea what it meant.

"This is an ancient symbol used to contain dark power. I've seen it in books here and in the Enchanted Forest. I think this might be the thing I need," Regina said.

Emma grunted. "And then we go back to Storybrooke?"

Regina had not thought of that. "Well, I'm not sure if it will work. I might have to… tattoo it onto myself and then try to summon my magic."

"In a world without magic," Emma deadpanned.

"Emma, I think we both know this world is not completely without magic. We can try this and if it does not work, we might be able to try something else. This world has so much knowledge," Regina pointed out with a smile. She wanted to read so much more, and not just magic, theology, and mysticism books. She wanted to experience more of this world in general.

Emma did not look convinced or even eager to try this plan. She did not want to go back to Storybrooke and watch her parents be the perfect family with a child who was not her, which seemed to be the point. She could stall, though.

"Beyond a tattoo, I also believe I need special ink. The book describes it, but it might take time to get all of the ingredients." This was not exactly a lie, but she would take her time and give Emma a chance to heal.

Emma nodded. "As soon as I'm not hung over, I'll help."

Regina smiled and reached across the table, taking Emma's hand. "It's going to be all right." She meant that for both of them. Somehow, this would turn out all right.

Emma did not respond. Regina just held Emma's hand. Emma had held onto such faith for her and kept her together. She would have faith for them now. _How can you have faith when you know it's still there? It hasn't gone away, no matter how you try to pretend. Tell her that. Tell her that and let her crawl into a new bottle_. Regina swallowed. No, she would hold together. Besides, this might actually work.

-8-8-8-8-

Next time: Emma, Regina, Neal, and Henry do their best to hold together.


	13. At the Gates

I don't own these characters.

13: At the Gates

 _Three years later…_

Regina would slaughter the person knocking on her door as they had no common sense or common decency. _Was everyone on Earth raised in a barn?_ And if Henry lost his key again, so help him… She shook that away. No, Henry had become much better with keys since Emma purchased the clip for him to hook them on his pants. So, she would just have to slaughter whoever it was at her door. _I hope this isn't another UPS delivery. Emma really has to stop shopping online so much_.

"Yes, what do you—" Regina swallowed her words she opened the door. Standing before her was Snow White and her pretender prince with a stroller in front of them. If it were not for the baby, she would not have thought any time past since she last saw the irksome couple. They had a few more lines on their faces, probably stress from raising a toddler, but other than that, they seemed the same. Not that she cared.

 _Slam the door on them!_ Unfortunately, Regina's hand did not obey that command from her brain. Instead, she just gawked at the couple, unable to move.

Snow blinked and she jumped a little. "Regina?" Her brow furrowed and she looked around, squinting as she took in the house with a wrinkled brow. "I'm sorry. We were told Emma lives here."

Regina frowned and she could already feel a headache coming on. "She's out for the moment." Emma definitely would not be happy when she came into her parents and the replacement child she never met.

 _Why are they here, anyway?_ Regina could not figure out what purpose Snow and her shepherd could have here. They had barely spoken to Emma since she left Storybrooke as if it was killing her, which it might as well have been. She had certainly changed, brightened in every sense of the word since leaving. _I definitely was wrong in them figuring out what it meant to be parents_.

"Oh. Will she be back?" Snow inquired, as if was any of her business.

Regina was tempted to tell Snow that if she bothered to pick up a phone every now and then to contact Emma, she might actually be privy to Emma's rather set schedule. But, she doubted this would help anything and she did not have time for an argument. She glanced at the clock over the mantle.

"She should be by within the hour." Hopefully, she would be in sooner than that. Then, Regina could find out what she was supposed to do with these two idiots and their actually adorable offspring.

The couple nodded and made a noise before Snow spoke again. "Would it be all right for us to come in?"

"I suppose." Regina stepped out of the way and allowed them entrance into her home. For a moment, she considered going to change, as she was dressed in simple black leggings and a red, baseball t-shirt perfect for a day spent inside, but she decided against it. She refused to change her behavior for them. "Please be mindful of your volume. Would you like anything to eat or drink?"

They were silent and she motioned for them to sit in the living room off to the left. It was immaculate, as they did not really use it. There was a den at the back of the house that served as the family room and saw way more action than the living room. The living room was for guest entertainment, not that she ever expected the Charming family to be her guests.

"If you give me a moment, I'll be right back. For now, please, feel free to watch the TV. It's all right to let the baby out of the stroller, too. Don't worry about the rug," Regina pointed out.

Snow squeaked a little, as if she had not thought of that. Regina rolled her eyes. If this was uncomfortable for Snow, she could not wait to see Snow's reaction when she actually looked around the room. But, for the moment, she needed to be a good hostess and she needed to make sure she saved her interrupted work.

Work saved, she glanced over in the corner of her office and felt safe with going to sit with the Charmings for a moment. On the way, she grabbed a tray, putting a plate of cookies on it, and a pitcher of iced tea. She set the tray down on the onyx coffee table next the television remote and she sat on the opposite end of the leather, white sectional from Snow and Charming.

"Feel free to help yourselves." Regina pointed to the tray. She always had homemade cookies or other goodies at the ready for when Henry charged in with his horde. Teenaged boys ate everything from what Regina could tell. Added to that, Emma ate everything. Plus, Neal at everything.

"That's all right. Is this your house?" Snow inquired, eyes roaming the room. Her husband seemed in shock, having not said a word yet. His face was almost blank, like he had no idea what was going on.

"Yes," Regina answered.

"It's lovely."

"I know." This was her own little slice of heaven. Her family lived in suburbia and they fit right in without pretending, without trying. The neighbors thought they were a little odd, but still likable. They hosted gatherings and were invited to more than their fair share of events. It was nice and kept them busy. They lived, which was new to all of them. "Why are you here?" Other than to ruin heaven once again.

"We need to talk to Emma," Snow said.

Regina felt her eyebrow tick upward. This was obvious. "About?" She would not let them hurt Emma anymore with their carelessness. It had been hard enough to pick up the pieces before.

"If you don't mind that's between us," David chimed in. His voice was clipped and a little hard. His face now matched it and he glared at her, as if accusing her of something.

Regina held up her hands. Emma would tell her, anyway. Before she could further interrogate the couple, the sound of crying echoed through the house. Snow looked down at her toddler, but it was not him.

"Excuse me a moment." Regina climbed to her feet and went back to her office before her guests could say anything. A smile lit up her face as soon as she stepped into the room. "Hey, sweet girl, are you awake?"

"Mama!" Lucia yawned and rubbed her eye with a tiny fist. She was in the corner of the office, in her playpen. Her favorite blanket, ducklings in a pond, was pooled around her little legs.

Lucia put her hands up as soon as she noticed Regina. Regina picked Lucia up and she curled into Regina's chest. She yawned again and was probably falling back to sleep already. Her naptime should have lasted another thirty minutes. Regina ran her hands through Lucia's wavy, dark hair. Lucia scratched her little button nose into Regina's neck. This only made Regina smile.

"Mama," Lucia muttered again, wrapping her arms around Regina. She sighed as she settled against Regina.

"I've got you, _mi hija_." Regina rubbed her back and straightened out Lucia's little purple pajamas as she made her way back to the living room.

Snow gasped as soon as Regina sat down. She guessed Snow did not take any time to look at the pictures around the room. There were almost a dozen of Lucia up, many of those with Henry, Emma, and Neal. Beyond pictures of Lucia, there were tons of other pictures that should have raised questions for the couple. _Maybe they truly can't see beyond their own noses_. It would explain a lot.

"Regina, you had a baby?" Snow asked, as if it was the craziest thing of all time.

"Obviously." Of course, it was also possible she had adopted again, or kidnapped a child from Snow's point of view.

Snow looked down at her own son, still in his stroller for some reason. "This is Leopold. Who is she?"

Regina rolled her eyes because of course Snow would name her son after her bastard of a father. But, Regina was over that, for the most part. Life had been too good these past couple of years to dwell on a past she had left so far behind it felt like it happened to someone else.

"This is Lucia. She's eighteen months. I'm going to assume Leopold is a little over two," Regina said. Henry had mentioned a birthday or something not too long ago, being the only one to occasionally contact Snow and David. It was hard to recall. Yes, she listened to Henry when he talked, but she found it difficult to care about his grandparents.

Snow nodded. "Yeah."

Thankfully, Snow had no desire to swap child-rearing tips. Regina had plenty to share, but had a small circle of friends she did that with. She would never be comfortable doing such a thing with Snow. Snow's eyes wandered the living room now, taking in the photos, but not really.

"Are the trophies Henry's?" David ended up asking. He nodded toward the front of the room.

There was a shelf dedicated to Henry's awards and certificates. Sometimes, Regina marveled over them, thinking about how many things he would have had if she had allowed him to do activities in Storybrooke. He did not hold it against her, but she still thought about it, how she held him back, how she smothered him. He liked to insist he was quite happy now, but it did not make it hurt any less to know the damage she had done early on.

"Yes. He plays soccer. It turns out he's quite good." This had surprised her, but Neal worked with him almost every day to help him catch up to the level of his peers who had been playing for much longer. Henry was very determined in all of his pursuits, soccer and beyond. "The others are from writing competitions."

Henry writing, both she and Emma saw coming a mile away. She helped him post works online, after making sure the sites were safe, and also helped him send things in for contests. He continued to get praise for his first story, showing a different take on the Snow White fairy tale. He basically just told Regina's story, wanting to explain how she became the Evil Queen. It was therapeutic for the whole family, but for her and Henry especially as he got to learn more about her. No, he did not approve of her actions as the Evil Queen, but he understood her more and they became closer.

"Henry's doing well then?" David asked. He rubbed his palms together and his leg bounced a little, which he tried to hide by resting his arm on his knee.

"Of course," Regina replied. What, in their arrogance did they think Henry would wilt without them around? She dared to think he blossomed outside of Storybrooke much like his birth mother, but she was certain it more had to do with changes in her than him.

"Then, he has good grades?" Snow inquired.

"Yes. He's always on the honor roll," Regina replied. He liked to act like the grades were no big deal, but she, Emma, or Neal always treated him to something when he came home with an amazing report cards. He also got money whenever he came in with a test grade over ninety. Emma liked to joke that they were financing him buying a small island before college.

Snow nodded. "That's good."

Regina hoped she would not have to spend much more time trying to make small talk. It was agonizing. Lucia turned in her arms, sensing sweets nearby apparently.

"Mama, cookie?" Lucia pointed to the tray on the coffee table.

"No. Those aren't for you." Regina gently took Lucia's hand into her own and put her hand down.

Lucia turned to her and gave her puppy eyes that had to be learned from every other member of their family. Big, hazel eyes tried to cut through her, as they often did. Regina kept her resolve, despite the adorable levels being off the charts. Lucia had cookies of her own, designed specifically for growing toddlers.

"My cookies?" Lucia asked, pressing her palms to her chest. Her eyes now shined, but were just as big and poked out her lip a little.

Regina smiled. "Yes, you can have your cookies." She turned to her guests. "Excuse me again."

She climbed to her feet, putting Lucia down in the process. She would carry Lucia everywhere, but she knew she had to let Lucia do things on her own. Besides, everyone else picked Lucia up all the time. Lucia followed her on wobbly legs, tiny, bare feet slapping against the polished tile, and was reward with a long arrowroot cookie and a kiss on the cheek.

"That's my little princess," Regina said. Lucia grinned and nodded.

She returned to the living room with Lucia trailing behind her. Just as she sat down, Lucia put her arms up. Regina knew what her daughter wanted, but wanted Lucia to get into the habit of verbally requesting things.

"Up, Mama. Up." Lucia flexed her fingers, careful of her cookie. Regina was about to fulfill that entreat, but then there was the sound of keys in the door. Lucia gasped and giggled. "Hen! Eima!"

Lucia was off to the door, which opened and closed before she even got around the sofa. "Henry, I hope you're going right to the shower because you stink!" Emma declared with a laugh. The sound of her throwing her keys in a nearby bowl on an end table echoed through the hall.

"I stink? You stink! That's your own gym funk you're smelling, deputy," Henry shot right back, his voice deeper now that he was a full fledged teenager. They came to the living room entrance to be greeted by Lucia.

"Hen! Eima!" Lucia threw her hands up.

"Luce!" Emma grinned as if she had not seen Lucia in days and wasted no time picking the child up. She placed a big kiss on Lucia's chubby cheek and Lucia returned the favor, leaving bits of cookie mush on Emma's cheek.

"Hey, Mom," Henry said, coming into full view with his purple and gold soccer uniform on display. He came to a complete stop and blinked hard as he forehead wrinkled. He squinted like he could not believe what he was seeing. "Grams? Gramps? What are you doing here?"

Emma looked to the other end of the couch and it seemed like all of the happiness drained right out of her. The light went out of her eyes and her mouth set into a scowl. She hugged Lucia close, as if protecting her.

"Yeah, what are you doing here?" Emma practically spat the question at them, glaring like they were the enemy.

"Emma," Regina scolded her. She understood Emma was upset with her parents, but rudeness would not do in front of their children.

Emma scowled deeper. "Sorry. Hi, Mary Margaret. David. What are you doing here?" She put her hand on Lucia's back and put her arm up slightly, like she seriously expected something to happen.

"We came to see you," Snow said, standing up. She held Leopold to her. David climbed to his feet as well and wrapped an arm around Snow's waist.

"How did you even get this address?" Emma said and then she turned to Henry, who shrugged. Yes, the answer to that question was obvious. "Never mind. Why are you here? It's not to see me."

Emma was wise to her parents in a way Regina was not even sure Snow and David were aware of. It was one of the reasons Emma had agreed to move to the opposite end of the country with her. Snow and David only reached out to her when they needed something. Any other time, if she did not make the effort, there was no line of communication.

Regina could not understand that. She spoke to Henry constantly, just wanting to know about his day and any other items he was willing to share. Hell, she spoke to Lucia, even back when Lucia could not speak. She just wanted to know about her children. Did Snow and David not feel this way toward Emma?

"Eima, cookie!" Lucia shoved her cookie into Emma's face. This got a smile out of Emma, who knew Lucia was trying to share.

"Actually, Luce, you should go back to Mama. Eima is pretty smelly from the gym," Emma said and she handed Lucia to Regina.

"Oh, now you're smelly." Henry rolled his eyes.

"Just make sure you put your uniform in the hamper, so it'll get washed," Regina said. She had been able to break Emma of some habits in the last three years, but Emma still had trouble figuring out where dirty clothes went and her definition of "dirty" differed from Regina's. Emma's definition tended to lead to arguments because Regina could not understand why anyone would wear anything more than once before it was cleaned.

"What? It's not that bad. It's not like I worked out in the uniform," Emma argued, tugging at her tan collar. The fact that she wore her uniform did not support her statement, but she had probably forgotten a change of clothes when she went to the gym. This was a common occurrence and one of the many things that made Emma Emma.

"Hamper. I find it anywhere but the hamper and there will be problems," Regina promised, holding up an authoritative finger.

Emma rolled her eyes, but this would ensure Emma's deputy uniform ended up where it needed to be. Emma and Henry disappeared upstairs and Regina was stuck with Snow and David once more. The couple seemed in shock again, not even realizing they were still standing. Had they expected Emma to throw herself at them? Weep tears of joy at the sight of them? They really were idiots.

Snow and David seemed to come back to themselves and looked around the living room again. Maybe now the pictures took on a different meaning. They sat down and stared at her with wide eyes, begging her for an explanation. She had nothing for them.

"So… Emma stays here?" Snow asked, her voice a little shaky.

"Emma lives here, yes," Regina replied. She put Lucia down on the floor, which was covered in a plush red and white carpet, to allow her to make a mess as she ate her cookie.

Snow's face was scrunched up again. "Do Henry and Neal live here as well?"

"Henry obviously does." Why would their son not live with them? "Neal has an apartment five minutes from here." This was done on purpose, as Neal wanted to be close to them to spend as much time as possible with them, but knew living with them would be awkward at best. She and Emma agreed with that.

"Why isn't Emma living with him?" Snow blurted out.

Regina snorted. The first few months of being out of Storybrooke, Neal had chased Emma and gotten nowhere. Sometimes, Emma was outright mean to him, but his skin and skull were too thick to take the hint. He wisely conceded eventually, but he wasted a lot of time going after Emma, who made it plain that she did not want him beyond him being a father to Henry. Eventually, Emma was able to become friends with him, which was a whole different sort of headache. But, it was nice to see Emma able to move forward in life and not hold onto things that might poison her soul.

"Why should Emma be living with him?" Regina inquired with an arched eyebrow. She held back a frown. This was what Emma put up with, tried to work through, this push that she should be a certain type of person and live a certain type of way. And, if she did not, her parents withdrew.

"Well, we just figured…" Snow trailed off and glanced away. She turned to David for help. He opened his mouth, but Regina refused to hear him.

"You figured eventually Emma and Neal would steal Henry from me and live together as one big happy family?" Regina rolled her eyes. "That would be quite the fairy tale." Maybe she could convince Henry to write that story, but somehow she doubted it.

"Well, not steal," Snow said.

"We just thought…" David trailed off, probably realizing he was about to put his foot in his mouth. It was a surprise he did not finish the thought. After all, what did he care about Regina's feelings?

"Quite the newsflash. I didn't think you were capable. I'll be sure to mention it to Emma," Regina remarked drolly. Emma would probably have a good laugh over it.

"Eima?" Lucia's lit up and she looked around. "Eima?" She poked her lip out in a pout. It was like she forgot she just saw Emma.

Giving the child a smile, Regina ran her fingers through Lucia's dark hair. "Eima went to take a shower, _mi hija_. She'll be right back."

Lucia pouted more and her little shoulders dropped. "Eima." Then, she remembered she had a half-eaten cookie in her hand and was happy again.

Regina wished she could just entertain her daughter, but Lucia was enthralled with her cookie. Regina was forced to focus on the Charmings again. She turned her attention to the youngest of the trio. Was this what Emma looked like as a baby? It was probably a good thing she did not know. After all, if she had seen Emma as a baby, that would have been more than enough time to destroy the savior.

She could see a little hint of Henry in Snow and David's child. Not much, though. It could have easily been wishful thinking, though.

"Would you like any treats for Leopold?" Regina offered, doing her best not to gag on his name. _I will not be saying that often, if at all_.

"Oh, no. We travel with them," Snow said and David held up a cup, which appeared to be full of Cheerios.

Regina made a noise and just nodded. They were probably good parents to this child. If only the same could be said about Emma.

-8-8-8-8-

Emma scrubbed her hair under the double-head shower spray. She remembered when they first moved here and Regina had her install this thing. She thought it was decedent and maybe it was, but she enjoyed the damn thing more than Regina did. There were plenty of things about this house, about this move, about this life that she enjoyed and she was damn sure her parents were about to ruin it all. _How dare they just show up out of the blue like this?_ The boldness, the inconsiderate nature, the arrogance of them made her growl.

Thinking of her parents and their attitudes, she knew she had to get out of the shower soon and face them. She could not just leave Regina down there alone. So, she finished up with her shampooing and turned off the shower. Throwing on a white sleeveless t-shirt and some ratty sweatpants — her favorites — she ventured downstairs. She could feel the tension as soon as she hit the foot of the stairs.

Henry was already downstairs, which let her know she had been in the shower way too long, as he was at the stage where he stayed in the shower for a while. For a moment, she remembered having to explain to Regina why that was and how horrified her poor wife looked when she finally understood. Henry was dressed in house clothes very similar to her own and it was nice to know she influenced his style, at least in the house. Outside, he dressed a bit more like Regina, liking to give off a professional vibe that some might think was weird for a teenager.

As soon as Emma was in sight, Lucia turned to her. The kid had radar for family. Of course, Emma would never complain. She hoped Lucia always brightened when the kid saw her.

"Eima!" Lucia jumped to her feet… well, more like slowly climbed, but it was jumped for her.

"Okay, Luce, now it's time for some real hugging!" Emma scooped Lucia up and hugged her tightly. "I love you so much."

"Love you, too, Eima!" Lucia kissed her cheek again. Thankfully, this time she was not covered in mushy cookie crumbs.

Emma smiled and sat down on the end of the couch with Regina. She wanted to give Regina her usual greeting, but her parents' presence sort of made her self-conscious. It seemed like it would be weird or something, which she also thought was weird. Regina did not seem to mind, smiling at her and patting her knee.

"She says your name very cutely," Mary Margaret said, nodding to Lucia.

Emma's brow furrowed and she twisted her mouth up a little. "She's not saying my name."

"It sure sounds like it," David said.

"She's not saying Emma, but _E_ -ma," Emma explained as best she could. Her title was the letter "e" dash ma.

"E-ma?" her parents echoed. They glanced at each other, as if needing to check in that they both had no idea what was going on.

"Regina beat me out for 'mama' so until she learns to say 'mom' I'm 'e-ma'," Emma said. Of course, she suspected once Lucia learned to say "mom," Regina would get that title and she would get "ma," as those were the terms Henry used.

Henry snickered. "Like extra-ma. Had Luce called Ma 'mama' then Mom would've probably been 're-ma,' like do-over ma."

Emma flinched, even though she knew he was just joking. Part of her would always fear the kids looked at her as the "extra mother" and not a real parent. She hugged Lucia close to her. Lucia put her little hands on Emma's cheeks and rubbed noses with her, something they usually did to Lucia to lift her spirits. Emma could not help laughing and smiling at Lucia.

"Henry," Regina scolded him. "What have I told you about that?" She stared their little boy, well big boy now, down.

Henry sighed, his broadening shoulders slumping. "I'm sorry, Ma. I'm being insensitive. You're not extra and, Mom, I know Lucia isn't a do-over for you. Sorry."

"S'okay, kid." Emma leaned over and mussed his hair. It still hurt a little that she had to reach so high up to touch his head, even though he had been her height for almost a year now. She knew he did not mean to hurt them, but Regina still liked to make sure Henry understood his words had power, especially with his mothers.

Mary Margaret shook her head, eyebrows drawn in close together. "I don't understand."

"Yeah, what's going on here, Emma?" David inquired, pointing to the little family at the end of the couch. He scowled a little, as if instinctively disapproving of what he saw. Of course, Emma did not care.

"Isn't it obvious?" Emma countered, looking around. She decided to put it in terms they would understand. "We found our Happy Ending here in this small town in Northern California. We're practically living the American Dream. Two kids. I'm actually a real sheriff's deputy, got actual training and everything. Regina is a certified CPA. We've got this seriously beautiful house. Both cars still somehow working." She was interrupted as Regina and Henry cleared their throats. "What?"

"Ma…" Henry nodded down toward Regina.

"Oh! Right! It's so obvious that I don't even think to mention it. We're married." Emma pointed between her and Regina. This was something that was so obvious now that people just assumed when they met the Swan-Mills family. Something about the way Emma and Regina looked at each other, people always said.

"Married!" Mary Margaret and David were so loud the toddlers in the room began to cry. Mary Margaret immediately bounced her son in her arms.

"Oh, no. Luce, it's okay!" Emma bounced the baby in her arms. She rubbed Lucia's back just the way the child liked it. "It's okay, sweetheart." Lucia buried her face in Emma's chest.

"To avoid any more shouting and bothering the children, Emma and I have been married for a year. We've been romantically involved for two," Regina stated calmly.

Mary Margaret's eyes ignited and she glared at Regina with burning fury. "You're the reason Emma refuses to come home!"

With a chuckle, Regina rolled her eyes. "Yes, I'm the reason. Always the simplest explanation that excludes you."

"Henry, can you take Luce and…" Emma looked to Mary Margaret for the name of her perfect child. Henry had told her a while ago, but she put it out of her mind, expecting to never see her parents or their immaculate kid.

"Leopold," David supplied.

"Yeah, Henry, take Luce and Leopold in the back. They can play with Luce's toys," Emma said. No reason to keep the kids around for this.

Henry just nodded and Lucia pretty much jumped over to Henry. Henry laughed and held his sister close. He then went to Mary Margaret for Leopold and she actually hesitated before giving over her toddler. Henry rolled his eyes, looking just like Regina, and marched to the back of the house once he had both kids.

Emma gave her parents a hard look. "Look, you're not going to come into my house and shout at my wife, especially in front of our kids. Why don't you stop and reflect on things just once in your life? Not everything is Regina's fault just because she's Regina," she huffed.

"Well, what are we supposed to think? You just vanished after your second trip back to New York," Mary Margaret replied, folding her arms across her chest. She glowered at Regina as if trying to make her burst into flames.

"And it never occurred to you that it might be for the simple fact that you told me you were having a baby that you didn't talk to me about when a month ago you just expressed disappointment in me for daring to grow up somewhere without you?" Emma hissed. It was nice to get that out.

Emma wished she had been able to scream at her parents years ago. She just did not have it in her then. She had been scared of losing them and made herself an anxious mess dancing around them to keep them. But, she could tell them whatever since she had lost them the day they told her about this kid. She did not fear it anymore, especially since she now had a family she knew she would never lose.

"Emma, we weren't disappointed in you," Mary Margaret said. Her eyes softened and she seemed a little confused.

"We've never been disappointed in you," David insisted with gentle eyes of his own.

Emma snorted. _I'm supposed to believe that bullshit?_ "Oh, no? You sure as hell didn't make it seem that way. You kept pushing me to be this stupid fucking savior. You never wanted to stop and talk about anything I'd been through. You never wanted to stop and talk about what made me _me_. You just pushed on through, deciding without me that you were going to stay in Neverland or even go back to the Enchanted Forest, whether I wanted to go or not. You moved out of the fucking loft without even bothering to tell me until I was standing at the damn door, like it might not have been home for me, like it might not matter to me. I was never worth it to you guys. I was just a body who broke a curse and I didn't even do that right."

As she spoke, Regina came close and wrapped her arms around Emma. It was not until she was done talking that Emma realized she was crying and Regina gently wiped away tears with her thumb. Sniffling, she tried to stop. She did not want to cry in front of her parents. She did not owe them any tears.

"Emma…" her parents whispered and had the nerve to look shocked, like all of this emotion came out of the blue.

Emma tried to sit up tall, keep her shoulders square, and stare them down. It was just so hard, though. "You think Regina's the bad guy? She helped me pick up the pieces while she was going through her own shit. She was there for me. She talked to me. She held me together when I was certain no one would ever want me and I would never be worth it to anyone," she sniffed.

Regina held her tighter. "You are worth everything." Regina kissed her cheek. Three years ago, Regina used to tell her that everyday, before they were even together. It took her so long to believe it because history just seemed to prove it so very wrong.

"Emma, you could've talked to us about this," David said.

"Why do I always have to talk to you? You never talk to me. You never ask me anything or even ask about me. I'm obviously not worth it to you," Emma argued.

"Emma, that's not true," Mary Margaret replied.

Emma scoffed. She would never believe anything beyond her being a tool for her parents. She hated how Regina related to that, but Regina was able to pull her out of the funk she had been in three years ago, even while Regina had been a mess in her own right, because she knew what this was like. Of course, she had stuck with Regina because she knew what it was like to be a tool. _How messed up were we?_ They had come so far, though. She refused to let her parents ruin this, ruin them, ruin their family.

"I need to start dinner," Regina announced. "You're welcome to stay for dinner."

Emma expected that from Regina. Regina being an excellent hostess was one of the reasons they were so loved in their neighborhood. They had parties over the course of being in this house and Regina practically glided through people, making sure everyone had what they needed. Even for things she did not like or understand. Hell, they threw the best Super Bowl party ever according to the neighbors and Regina had not known what the hell that was.

"We'll stay," Mary Margaret said. Of course they would. They still needed to mess up Emma's day more by telling her what they wanted from her. Emma groaned aloud, not caring how rude it was. Regina did not even bother to reprimand her.

-8-8-8-8-

Next time: more of the unwanted family reunion.


	14. Column of Fire

I don't own these characters.

14: Column of Fire

Neal checked his watch as he walked down the clean street of his new hometown. It was possibly the best hometown he had lived in for a long time. The whole area was orderly and people were friendly. It even had a clean smell, something in the trees that spoke of nature and peace. There was plenty to do without it overflowing with folks. He never lacked for some activity to get Henry involved in and spend some time with his kid. And, things were in walking distance, so he never had to waste money on a car.

"Damn," he muttered when he saw the time.

He did not have time to go home and shower. Well, technically he did, as he only lived five minutes away by car. He could always just go home and then have Emma come and get him. A five minute drive versus a fifteen minute walk was always good, but then again, he was closer to the Swan-Mills' residence right now than he was to home.

"I'll just shower there," he mumbled. He had clothes over there and everything. Plus, according to Regina's text, dinner would be ready in ten minutes, so he did not want to waste time. He was starving after working all day outside in the warm air. His stomach grumbled on cue and he licked his lips, thinking about food. He did not even know what Regina made, but it would undoubtedly be delicious.

The decision was made, so he had to go to the right. Before he made it to the next street, he stopped dead in his tracks. Standing not even ten feet away from him was Rumpelstiltskin and his woman, looking exactly the same as before. Somehow, they seemed to suck the wholesomeness out of the neighborhood and the warmth from the air.

"What are you doing here?" Neal demanded, glaring daggers at the couple. They had gone as far as possible on the continental United States to avoid ever having to see anyone from Storybrooke and the Enchanted Forest again. So, why the hell was it staring him in the face right now?

Rumple leaned on his cane. "I wanted to talk with you."

Neal glared harder, giving himself a headache. "Well, I don't want to talk to you and I told you to stay away from my sister," he hissed, pointing at his father.

Neal would definitely destroy his father if Rumple did anything to hurt Regina and it would not bother him one little bit. Three years into having a sibling and Neal was certain he and Regina were just as close as any siblings who had been together their whole lives. And, as the older brother, he felt very responsible for her safety.

"Sister?" His woman — Belle, if Neal remembered correctly — gasped.

Neal frowned. "You didn't even tell her, did you? Unbe-fucking-lievable. You're unbelievable. Three years after all of this shit came out and you still didn't tell her? You're still just a coward and a liar," he hissed. He was so happy he managed to grow out of that, which he would attribute to his sister. She helped him become a grown up; well, her and Henry.

"You accuse me of being a coward? You ran away before we could discuss anything," Rumple shot back.

"Discuss what?" What color was the sky in his father's little fucked up world? There was nothing to discuss! "You purposely had Regina and messed up her entire life, so she could cast your stupid curse and then you tried to fucking kill her! No, more than kill her. You tried to fucking erase her. Are you kidding me?" Neal stepped closer, seriously considering punching his father in the face. _I might need to stop hanging out with Emma so much, but I can understand why this is her go-to thing_.

"He didn't try to kill her," Belle chimed in with this sweet, but somehow churning voice.

Neal's head snapped to her and he glared her down just as hard as he did his father. He had no desire to hear whatever brainwashing his father put in her head. How she could defend a known liar was beyond him in the first place.

Neal sneered at Belle and somehow resisted the urge to slap her. "Is that what he told you? Because, if he did, it's another lie, just like pretty much everything that comes out of his mouth. Face it, he's a liar and that's actually one of his good qualities. If he didn't tell you about Regina, then there's probably a whole library of shit you don't know, really fucked up shit," Neal huffed and he moved by them. _I don't want to take them over to the house. Where the hell can I ditch them?_

"Bae, it's not like that," Rumple said, hobbling after him. Belle moved by Rumple's side, like a good little drone.

Neal turned and glared again. "Stop calling me that. My name is Neal." Neal was finally a person Baelfire would be proud of, but he could not go back that name. It reminded him of a life with his father, with his mother leaving, and of failing Wendy and her brothers while Pan left him to rot.

Neal had finally grown out of running from his past, though. He had not moved here to get away from his father, but to rebuild himself and build a family unit. He was a whole person now with a good job, a good relationship with his sister, sister-in-law, son, and niece. This was the most fulfilled he had ever been. He would not let his father ruin that.

"Can't you just talk to your father?" Belle pled with big, doe eyes.

"Why the hell would you want me to talk to him?" Neal huffed and he scowled at her, wishing somehow his look would make her vanish. "Do you know what kind of man he is?" He motioned to his father.

"He's a good man," Belly said. She might as well have bashed Neal in the head with a bat rather than say those words.

Neal's jaw dropped. "He's a what?"

"He's a good man and he deserves some of your time. He spent so long looking for you, wanting to make things up to you and rebuild his relationship with you. You shouldn't shun him without hearing his side," she replied.

"Wow." Neal held his head and then looked at his father. "I'd say you have a spell on her, but we're hanging out in a world without magic, so I know you've just lied to her _that_ much. Unbelievable." Actually, very believable. He wished he could help Belle, but he doubted he had that much time left in life.

"I haven't lied to her," Rumple declared, like that in and of itself was not a lie.

"You should hear him out," Belle repeated.

"Fine. I'll make you a deal," Neal stated.

Rumple's face pulled into a tight grimace. "What is the deal?

"I'll give you five minutes and then you go away. Preferably forever," Neal stated, knowing this was the impossible deal. He just needed them gone right now. Maybe they would go back to wherever they were staying and he would not have to worry about Regina laying eyes on this bastard again. He definitely did not want Rumple to find out about Lucia. Maybe he would be able to say something to let Belle realize his father was not this "good man" she thought he was and help free her.

"Five minutes just standing on a street corner out in the open?" Rumple asked, looking around. There were no people on the street. A car drove by, but there was not a lot of traffic.

Neal scoffed. "It's this or nothing. What lie do you want to tell me now? Make sure it's a good one with your girlfriend standing right here."

"Wife," Belle offered.

Neal blinked and nodded, but felt like he had been punched in the stomach. _What the hell?_ "Oh, I'm sorry, your wife." He waved his hands around briefly before he focused incredulously on his father. "How many lies did you have to tell and truths did you bury for that to happen?"

"He's a good man," Belle insisted.

Neal growled and felt something inside of him snap. He was sick of her saying that ridiculous lie. "Are you really that stupid? You buy his bullshit? This 'good man' purposely had a daughter with someone just so their mixed blood would produce powerful, demonic offspring to cast his fucking dark curse. He let her grow up with an abusive mother and loving another man as her father because he knew when it came time to cast the Curse, she'd need to kill the one she loved the most and that couldn't be him. So, he let another man raise her, then he purposely corrupted her, deprived her, starved her and then fed her nothing but darkness, and watched with glee as this man sacrificed himself with the hope his daughter would be happy. But, yeah, Rumple's a good man. Fuck you."

Belle flinched and physically fell back a little. She obviously did not know any of this and Neal was not surprised. His father would always be a coward and liar. This was part of his nature, in his bones down to the marrow. Even without the Dark One powers in him, Neal was certain Rumple would still behave the way he did, clutching onto things in any way he could.

"Belle," Rumple said, but Neal cut in because he did not want to hear whatever lie Rumple had ready to keep his woman by his side.

"So, here's my thing, why are you here? What could you possibly say to me?" Neal demanded, throwing his hands out.

"You're still my son," Rumple growled.

"No, I'm not. My father, the man who truly loved me and cared about me, wouldn't have purposely done what you did to Regina. My father would've held that baby girl and loved her like she was the best thing on Earth…" His throat closed briefly.

Neal thought about back when Lucia was born. They had all passed her around and Neal could still remember her light weight in his arms. Her eyes were closed and her headful of dark hair shot off cutely in every direction. He could feel such love for her, overflowing, all powerful love. He knew he would protect her until his last breath and she was not even his daughter.

How could his father not feel that just from looking at Regina when she was a baby? Hell, he remembered when Regina was pregnant and he and Henry had been so protective of her. How could his father not feel that with Regina when she was inside of her mother? It was simple to him. His father was actually dead and the Dark One was just wearing his skin. Yes, his father was a coward, but he had been honorable and loving. This creature was nothing like that.

Neal sniffled, curling his top lip. "She was just a tool to you. People are just tools to you. Hell, I'm sure she's just a tool to you." He pointed to Belle.

"Your father loves me," Belle insisted. Surely she had to tell herself that lie daily or else how would she survive life with the Dark One?

Shaking his head, Neal scoffed. "Is that what you think? If so, have you broken his curse? He loves how devoted you are to him. He loves what you do for him and what you're willing to do for him. He loves the way you make him feel. He doesn't love you, though."

This thankfully shut her up. He did not have anything against Belle. He just hated she would defend Rumple without all of the facts and with direct evidence of his lies. He hated how she could still defend him after hearing what he had done to Regina. It was not her fault, but he hated it just the same. Hopefully, eventually, she would catch on and get as far away from Rumple as well.

"Bae, I'll not have you talk to her like that," Rumple growled, taking a tighter grip on his cane.

"Then, how about you move it along then? Is it that the Dark One can't stand to know he lost a possession and that's why you keep hunting me down? I'm done with you," Neal declared.

"I want to make it up to you," Rumple said.

Neal let loose an ungodly groan, throwing his hands up. "The fact that you don't get that is one of the problems. You _can't_ make it up to me. Maybe I'd have been all right with you abandoning me down the portal. Yeah, you got scared. I know how that is, but you fixated on me so much that you literally created Regina just to destroy her. How can I forgive that? How could I trust you? Then, the fact that you come here with your wife, who you're not even completely honest with, but trying to use her like some great testament to your goodness is ridiculous. What am I supposed to think? Am I supposed to look at her and think that if someone else can love you then you must be all right? If so, it didn't work. I look at Belle and I feel sorry for her, sorry that she's with you, sorry about how much heartache you're going to put her through, and sorry because I know this isn't going to end well for her," Neal stated and then he made a show of looking at his watch. "I've got go."

He marched off, hoping they would not follow. He glanced back to see Belle glaring at Rumple and saying something to him. Maybe that would keep them occupied long enough for him to disappear. Still, he took a winding route to Regina and Emma's house. He could not risk being followed.

When he came to their block, he sighed in relief to see he was alone. Putting his key in the lock, he inhaled, wanting to catch the smell of dinner. Every time that smell hit him along with stepping into the house, he knew what home was.

"Dad, it's about time. Mom was about to send me to find you," Henry called as he stepped into the hallway from the dining room.

"Why? I told her I was on the way," Neal replied.

"That was thirty minutes ago. I assumed you went to your apartment first. Emma called to see if you wanted a ride, but you didn't answer," Regina explained as she joined Henry.

"I'm fine. I just need to catch a shower first." He pointed upstairs.

"Hurry. We have guests," Regina sneered.

"Guests?" Neal's face contorted and then he decided to go check this out. Walking to the dining room, he saw Emma's parents there, sitting at the table. What the hell was going on? "Uh… Hi." Great, first his father and now Emma's parents. If someone managed to resurrect Cora and Mila, they could have the World's Most Fucked Up family reunion.

"Hi," Snow replied with a bright smile, like she was so happy to him. He could not figure out why.

David gave him a nod. "Hey."

"Well, I gotta take a shower. I'll be right back." Neal made his escape. This was too much for what had been such a normal day.

-8-8-8-8-

Dinner had never been so tense before and Emma wished she could just escape with Neal. It did not help the way Mary Margaret looked at her after Neal made his exit. Her eyes asking why Emma had not ended up with him. In truth, he was lucky he was Regina's brother or she would have never spoken to him again.

"So, you all generally have dinner together?" David asked, looking around the dining room.

"That's what families do," Henry replied as he took the empty seat by Emma. She was happy her parents decided to sit across from her rather than next to her. She was really not interested in pretending she wanted anything to do with them.

In fact, Emma tried to occupy her time playing with Lucia. Lucia was in her highchair, right next to Emma, playing with her string beans. Lucia got her food first, as always. Lucia always had to inspect her food, decide if it was worth eating, then dump it on the tray before eating it. If it did not make it to the highchair tray, it was not worth eating for Lucia and then an alternative meal had to be served to her.

"And… Regina usually serves?" Mary Margaret inquired, looking at Regina in the kitchen. A long, high countertop separated the two rooms.

"Oh, please, that's Ultra-Housewife there." Emma jabbed her thumb behind her toward the kitchen. "She owns the cape to prove it, right, babe?" she called over her shoulder. Her parents flinched and she snickered.

"My cape has nothing to do with my household chores, dearest," Regina replied. She probably rolled her eyes, but Emma could not see because Regina had her back to them. Her parents did not flinch with Regina's term of endearment, probably because it was close to "dear" and Regina called everyone "dear."

"You want help, Mom?" Henry offered, undoubtedly trying to escape the table, even though he was the only one out of them who kept up with the Charmings. He emailed his grandparents every now and then. The communications never sounded very deep, though.

Emma had remained in touch with Ruby, who thankfully never mentioned her parents and she made sure never to ask. Apparently, this went too way as Ruby did not seem to betray her life to her parents, even though she was careful with what she told Ruby just in case. Regina kept in touch with Tinker Bell, to an extent. Tink was not great with technology, even now. But, it worked for them.

"I have it." Regina came in with plates. She eased one down in front of Henry and then put the other where Neal was likely to sit.

Regina knew how they all liked their food, so she just made their plates for them to avoid a mess in the kitchen. Emma, Henry, and Neal never failed to spill things on the stove, counter, or floor, which irked Regina to no end, even when they cleaned it up. Regina also somehow knew how to make perfect portions for them. On the off chance they wanted more, Regina placed the dishes along the counter separating the kitchen from the dining room to let them serve themselves.

Regina returned with her own plate, sitting it at the head of the table. She put a steaming bowl in front of Emma. Dinner consisted of pepper steak, yellow rice, black beans, and string beans, all of which Emma liked mixed together, which was why she had a bowl. Henry mixed the meat and the rice, but the beans had to stay separated. Regina, of course, could not let any of her foods touch. She fixed Mary Margaret and David's plates like her own.

"Would you like Leopold to have regular food or a toddler meal?" Regina asked, her eye twitching ever so slightly. With Lucia, they had to play a game to find out if she was willing to eat what they had or if she wanted special toddler meals. She could be very picky.

"This is fine," Mary Margaret replied.

By the time Neal got back, everyone had food. Drinks were poured, nothing alcoholic, even though Emma would kill for a beer and Regina would probably do the same for a glass of wine. Neal walked in like he expected everyone to be dead already and he had no idea how to handle the silence, or the fact that everyone was still very much alive. He seriously tiptoed to his seat, next to Henry and across from Regina.

"So…" Neal said, practically studying their guests. "What are you doing here?" This was the million dollar question, which had yet to be answered. He narrowed his gaze on them, looking suspicious of them. They ignored the look, like it was nothing.

They still did not answer either, focusing on their food for a long moment. Then, there was another deflection, Mary Margaret wanting to know how Henry was doing in school and if he liked it here. Henry beamed. He definitely liked it here. He had a good group of friends, he played soccer, all of his parents got along, and he understood how lucky he was. Mary Margaret seemed shocked by all of this, eyes wide and mouth gaping. Food on her fork fell back to her plate.

"But, don't you want to be a knight and a hero?" David asked, squinting as if he did not understand what Henry was saying.

Henry snorted, throwing his head back. "It would've been nice, but dangerous. Plus, there are plenty of ways to be a hero. Ma's a hero here." He motioned to Emma, who smiled.

"She'd be more of a hero if her uniform made it into the hamper more often," Regina remarked.

"Again with the hamper." Emma snorted. "I'm out patrolling these dangerous streets, facing death every day, and you're harassing me about a uniform."

Regina arched an eyebrow. "Facing death every day? What dangerous streets? The kids even stay on the sidewalks around here. Yesterday, the most work you did was a welfare check and the woman fed you when you showed up."

"Yeah, but it was really spicy. I could've died," Emma remarked with a grin. She eased a hand over to Regina's and took her hand for a moment. Her parents caught sight of it and then looked away until the "awful" scene was done.

Henry laughed and pressed on. "I'm gonna be a writer. Mom already signed me up for writer workshops this summer and Ma keeps finding all of these places with books to help me research for new stories. That's what I want to do. Tell stories, stories people don't hear, but should hear."

His parents all smiled. Ever since Henry picked up a pen, he had been determined to tell their stories. He was also planning on telling his own story, growing up adopted and then finding his birth mother, and then birth father, and living with all of them. Emma could not be more proud of the kid, even though she feared he was traumatized, not only by his own life, but theirs as well now. He seemed to cope the best, though.

"So, you don't care that you're not at home anymore?" Mary Margaret asked, earning glares from his parents.

Henry shrugged. "I am home." This place was probably the best home any of them had ever had.

"In Storybrooke, I mean. You don't care that you're not in Storybrooke anymore?" Mary Margaret asked.

Henry shook his head. "Sometimes, I miss it, yeah, but things are better for us now. This is better for us." Emma sat up a little taller and patted the kid on the shoulder. He beamed at her.

"What of you?" Regina asked, steering the conversation away from Storybrooke as it seemed like Mary Margaret and David were trying to make Henry miss the place. From that point on, Regina directed the conversation. Emma was grateful.

-8-8-8-8-

When dinner was done and the babies were asleep, Henry excused himself to his room, so it seemed safe to get down to cases. Regina wanted to know why Emma's parents decided to show up and make waves yet again. So help her if she had to hold Emma crying tonight, there would be hell to pay tomorrow. So, she would not accept another deflection.

The adults all retreated into the living room again. Regina had to pour herself some wine. She offered Snow and David, but they both declined. Emma and Neal got beers. The two groups now stared at each other for a while.

"What happened?" Snow had the nerve to ask, blurting the question out like there was some problem here. "Emma, what made you marry Regina? You were supposed to be a family with Henry and Neal."

Emma snorted. "We are a family. We all love each other. Henry even sees Neal as his dad."

"And what about Lucia?" David inquired.

"What about Lucia? I'm not her dad and I never will be. I'm her uncle and she knows that," Neal replied.

"And she thinks Emma is her mother?" Snow asked.

The question got frowns from the trio on the other end of the couch and poor Emma grimaced. _What the hell?_ Regina almost could not believe it. Snow was in her home, had eaten her food, and dared question her child's parent? No good manners in that one.

"There is no 'thinks.' Emma _is_ her mother," Regina stated and Emma nodded. They grasped each other's hands in support. It helped keep Regina calm, especially now.

Snow let loose an awkward laugh. "But, you said you had her."

Regina snorted through her nose and gnashed her teeth together. "If you want to know Lucia's life story, you should just ask." Not that she was inclined to share, especially with Snow White and the damned silent shepherd.

"I didn't think you'd tell." For once the little princess made the correct assumption.

Regina just wanted to shut Snow up, though. She wanted these idiots to understand nothing they thought they knew was correct. It was time for them to start seeing passed the ends of their noses.

"After we escaped Storybrooke, the magic eating at me didn't fully leave. It manifested itself in different ways. At first, I itched and burned and just assumed anxiety was devouring me. Eventually, I felt such a powerful lust. I was practically a walking pheromone. I slept with dozens of men and women. We have no idea who Lucia's father is, nor do we care to know. It was already decided when I found out I was pregnant that Emma would adopt her, which she did as soon as Lucia was born. She has always been there for Lucia. Lucia is hers. Are you satisfied?" she demanded. Well, that was part of the story anyway.

She remembered when the pregnancy symptoms hit her. She thought she was sick and ignored it. People got sick, right? Okay, not usually her, but she lived in the "real world" now, so maybe her.

Emma knew what was up before she did and laughed at her every time she brushed it off, claiming she had the flu. It turned out, a curse she had taken to make herself unable to have children was negated in this world without magic. Well, this world with limited magic, as her demon powers kept finding someway to surface. Thus, they were blessed with Lucia. Of course, had she known she could get pregnant, she probably would have been much safer with her sexual practices. _Or not, considering how much I enjoyed each partner_.

David scowled. "So, you were cheating on Emma?"

Regina groaned. Out of all of that, this was what he picked up on? And it was cute how outraged he was for Emma when it came to her, but had been pushing her to date a pirate who had tried to kill her on multiple occasions. Who in his right mind wanted his daughter to be a pirate's wench?

"No," Emma huffed, covering her face with her for a moment. She then gave her father a glare right back. "She wasn't with me at the time. While she's sleeping around, I was busy drinking myself sick. After a couple of months of that, she was the one who took time to pick me up, put me back together, and made me better. It took a few tries, but she kept at it. And I was horrible at the time, but she never gave up on me."

Regina shook her head. Emma had definitely battled with alcohol at the time and often lost the battle. No, she had not been kind, speaking scathing words and making biting comments whenever she lost herself in a bottle. But, Emma had stuck with her through worse times, so there was no way she would allow Emma to dive head first into despair and never leave. Those times helped them grow close, even though they had been hard and dark more often than not. She had seen sides of Emma no one would believe, especially not her parents.

"We weren't together in that time, so I was still enjoying the company of others, but eventually spending time with Emma topped that," Regina added in. The more she worried about Emma, the more her magic bothered her, which sent her out with more people. She did not regret it. It was just something that happened and gave them Lucia. At least the magic had not made her kill anyone.

Neither Snow or David appeared impressed. "So, you just spent time together and all of a sudden were in love?" Snow said this as if it was the most impossible thing to have ever happened in the history of all the worlds.

"We already had something that we ignored, but after a while of being together, being close friends, it was there full force and impossible to ignore. Once we acknowledged that, we were able to truly beat back the itching Regina always felt from the magic inside of her. So, move on." Emma waved all of the nonsense off. She was probably at her limit with her parents.

"Better still, instead of judging us, how about you tell us why you're here. I already know you showed up with Rumple, even though you know he's nothing but trouble, so can we get down to why you're here?" Neal demanded with a growl, punching his fist into his palm.

"Rumple?" Regina gasped, turning to her brother. What was that bastard doing here? Her body teased and, for a second, she felt fire in her belly. A gentle wave managed to douse the flames, though. "Why didn't you say anything before?" Then, she rolled her eyes. "You don't have to protect me from him."

Neal snorted. "That's bullshit and you know it. I will fucking destroy him if he so much looks at you wrong."

"Still, you should've told us," Emma said.

"I thought they might say something about it, but they're surprisingly tightlipped about everything. I ran into him before I got here and he was trying to talk to me, making it seem like he came here for me, but we all know that's bullshit. He wouldn't say why he was really here. He bullshits too much and too often for me to believe what he says, anyway." Neal turned his attention to Emma's parents. "So, how about you guys, the 'good guys,' not bullshit us. What do you want?"

Emma shook her head and glared at her parents. "You guys brought Gold with you? What the hell is wrong with you?"

Regina's stomach actually flipped as she felt Emma's ire. Emma had a right to her anger, but she did not want this too get too out of control. They had three children in the house, after all. So, she moved her arm around Emma's waist and pressed herself close, knowing this could keep Emma calm for now.

"Well, first off, someone had to get us over the town line to come to you since you never came back. He said he just wanted to talk to Neal and he knows more about what's happening in Storybrooke than we do," Snow replied.

Ah. This was why they were here. They needed Emma to do something to save Storybrooke. Emma trembled as soon as the town's name was out of her mother's mouth. Regina reached up and took Emma's hand, holding it tightly while staying pressed close to her. Emma's body continued to shake.

"And what exactly is going on in Storybrooke?" Regina inquired, not that she gave a damn. The only person she cared about there—Tinker Bell—had no expressed any concern, but it had been some months since last they spoke. It did not matter. She needed to get the Charmings out of the house as soon as possible. She would definitely have to soothe Emma as soon as they were out of the door. _Just once couldn't these idiots do the right thing?_

"It's disappearing," Snow blurted out.

"Disappearing how? Like with the trigger?" Regina asked. _I'll have to try to get Tink more invested in the phone to let me know if she's in trouble_.

Snow nodded. "Something like that, but not as rapidly. Blue and Rumple both agree the well that's the source of magic is slowly, but surely sucking the magic from Storybrooke, sending it back to the other realm."

Emma snorted. "What's that got to do with us? You might've noticed, we live on the other side of the country and haven't messed with any real magic in years. Blue and Gold should be able to handle it, right?"

This sounded quite right to Regina. Why had these people flown across the continental United States to pester Emma about this? It had nothing to do with them.

"They tried. Nothing they did worked. They said something about the magic not belonging here and the Enchanted Forest was trying to take it's magic back and they just couldn't fix it." Shaking her head, Snow waved the whole thing off, useless as usual.

"This is why we brought Rumple. He can explain it much better," David replied.

"That may be, but that man is not welcome into my home," Regina stated. Snow and David were barely welcome now.

"And not near our kids," Emma added.

"He's helped us a lot," Snow had the nerve to argue. It was like she wanted one of them to slay her.

Emma's eyes flashed and the lights flickered. "I don't care! He has done nothing but wreck havoc on every member of this family and he's not welcomed here, _ever_." She pointed to Regina, herself, and Neal.

"Okay, okay, okay." David held up his hands in surrender. "Let's not worry about that. We do need your help with Storybrooke. It's vanishing and soon we'll be without a home. In fact, we might end up dead if this continues. You're the only ones who can do something to stop it."

Emma's brow wrinkled and she shook her head. "If the well's a portal to the Enchanted Forest, can't you just go through it and be home?"

 _If only it was so simple_. "It's a portal for magic, not people," Regina replied. "Moving magic is always easier than moving people when it comes to magical portals. It might eventually tear bits of magic from anyone who has it, breaking people down. It could possibly kill people, depending on their magical ability, if the well takes enough pieces of them. So, you want Emma to shut the valve off of the well essentially?"

"Blue claims it would take immense power and we know Emma has the power of True Love in her, which is the strongest magic. We thought she might be enough," Snow replied. She and David sat up a little, proud of themselves for some reason.

"If not, we hoped you'd come along to back her up," David added.

Regina frowned. In their minds, apparently, she was Emma's sidekick. Their opinions did not matter, though. She looked at Emma, who did not seem moved by anything her parents said.

"Come by tomorrow. We need to discuss this," Regina told them.

"But—" Snow tried to argue.

"You heard her," Emma said sharply. She climbed to her feet, moving to show her parents the door. It seemed like they could not leave fast enough for her. Regina did not stop her. She was rather pleased when Emma shut the door behind them.

-8-8-8-8-

Next time: decisions are made.


	15. Abysmal

I don't own these characters.

15: Abysmal

Emma downed her beer in one gulp as soon as her parents were gone and would love to have another, but drank in moderation now. She was not a pleasant drunk and she never wanted her kids to see her like that. She did not want to be around Regina while she was like that. Hell, she was so ashamed that Regina had dealt with her like that. And, yeah, she might not get drunk off of two beers, but she did not want to use the excuse of her parents showing up to drink more than she usually did.

She did not want to give her parents that power, the power they had years ago. For a long moment, she thought back to her dark days years ago. It was so blurry. She just remembered a lot of screaming at Regina. It was mostly about her parents, Neal, and life in general. The things she said to Regina… they would have crushed and destroyed a lesser soul. Regina had been so patient with her, taking so much verbal abuse. Emma never wanted to be like that again.

"So, what are we going to do?" Emma asked, picking at her pants' leg for no reason. There was not much material left in her favorite pants, but that did not stop her from plucking at threads. She did not want to jump because her parents said so, but then again, people could die. People possibly dying was never a good thing. What kind of person was she if she could stay away while people, some friends, possibly died?

"You and I could go. Neal could watch the kids," Regina replied. She moved in close to Emma, knowing the pressure of her body helped keep Emma calm. Emma wrapped an arm around her waist, pulling her impossibly close.

"Don't you mean Henry can watch the kids?" Emma teased, rubbing Regina's hip. The feel of Regina's leggings was much better than the threads of her sweatpants.

Neal snorted and rolled his eyes. "Which one of us almost burned down the kitchen, huh?"

"I hear my name!" Henry called from his room.

Regina groaned. The yelling throughout the house was a pet peeve of hers and she would probably never get used to it. But, she put up with it because Emma and Neal were practically raised in a barn, as she liked to say, and they could only be civilized so much. She swore they turned Henry into a barbarian, though. The thought never failed to put a smile on Emma's face.

"Come down!" Emma shouted back, just to annoy Regina.

Regina groaned and rubbed her eyes with her thumb and middle finger. "You're awful."

"I do my best." Emma kissed the side of Regina's head. It would calm her enough for them to stay on task with this conversation.

They were able to track Henry's movements through the house because he stomped everywhere now. Emma was certain his clomping, as Regina put it, had to do with playing soccer and just being outside a lot more in general. Regina probably put up with it because of that. He was a much happier child now and Regina beamed whenever she saw him, so she would not reprimand him over something that had to do with his happiness.

"What's up?" Henry asked as he hit the living room. He moved to the opposite end of the couch, sitting close to his father. Throughout the years, Emma had been able to find a lot of little things in Henry that reminded him of her, but there was not much of Neal in there. Secretly, she was happy for it.

"Did you hear what we were discussing with your grandparents?" Regina asked.

"Nope." He had stopped eavesdropping, starting to understand his place as a child as he was able to be a child, especially since there was no curse to break. Well, until now, if what was happening was a curse. But, then again, who knew what it was?

"Good," Regina said.

"They want us to go to Storybrooke. The magic well is sucking up the magic from Storybrooke and the town is disappearing slowly, but surely," Emma explained.

"Mom can't go, though," Henry pointed out.

All of the adults nodded. Regina's magic was so powerful that it still existed in the real world. While she did not tell Snow and David, beyond sleeping with a bunch of men and women, Regina was certain she had been subconsciously stealing energy from them, as well. It was one of the things that made the sex so good. She had not hurt any of the people, just leaving them in deep sleeps after she had her way with them. Even the first couple of times she was with Emma, she had accidentally syphoned some of Emma's magic, which was how they first figured out exactly what she was doing.

Emma's magic had a certain feel to it and Regina recognized it by the third time it happened. The first two times, she had written it off as just the ecstasy of being with Emma and Emma had been too dazed to realize what happened. It was funny in hindsight.

"The seals might help," Regina said. Her hand wandered to her bicep and rubbed the area. Emma's hand caressed in between her shoulder blades, touching the middle of her tattoo without seeing it. The whole point of the seals, beyond making sure to keep her demonic power in check, was to help her return to Storybrooke if she ever wanted to. She just never wanted to.

Neal swallowed and watched Regina with wet eyes. "Are we going to risk that?" He did not want to lose her any more than the rest of them.

"It's dangerous," Emma pointed out. Her hand moved to the small of Regina's back and made comforting circles around another seal. The seals had not stopped her from draining people's energy, after all.

"If this is like the trigger, you know it'll take both of us," Regina replied.

"And you can't leave the town to just disappear. Wait, do the people disappear with it? Like, do they get to go back to the Enchanted Forest?" Henry inquired.

Emma shrugged. "It didn't sound like it when my parents were here. The people with magic in them could lose bits of themselves and maybe die. I don't know what happens to the people without magic."

"So, what happens to the people who aren't sucked in bit by bit?" Henry turned to Regina. "Was the trigger going to kill everyone or leave them stranded?"

"No, it was to return us. The trigger was about putting everything back the way it was before the Curse. This seems different from that. The other realm is taking back the magic, which is undoubtedly why the town is vanishing since it was created by magic. The people are real, though. There's a chance that it won't even take their magic from them, as the magic is theirs rather than the realm's, but I would need more information to make that judgment. We might have to talk to Rumple or the Blue Fairy to get a better idea of what is happening," Regina explained.

"I vote no to both those ideas," Neal said.

Emma held up her hand. "And I agree with him."

"Well, I think you should help people, but I don't like this idea of you going back to Storybrooke. If you become a demon, Mom, you lose yourself and we all lose you. None of us want to lose you," Henry pointed out with glimmering, worried eyes.

Regina smiled at him for saying what they all thought. "Thank you, dear."

"Let's find out how big a threat this is and then decide. But, if people are really in danger and could die…" Emma sighed. She could not just leave people to suffer, especially when she was not pissed with them. She was pissed with her parents and how three years later they still had not changed, but the people of Storybrooke had not done her any harm. In fact, quite a few of them had accepted her with open arms.

"You'll save them," Henry stated as if it was that simple. "You guys are heroes, even if no one tells you and even with your flaws. You care about people. You're heroes."

"Thanks, Henry," Neal said while the mothers just nodded.

Those words were probably most important to Neal. Emma and Regina had never really wanted to be seen as heroes. They all just wanted to be seen as good people, but Neal had done something brave — and stupid — with trying to save Wendy and her brothers and all he really got for his trouble was betrayal by Hook and trapped in Neverland. So, at least his kid acknowledged him.

"If you go, can I come?" Henry asked.

"You know we don't want to take you into possible danger," Regina answered.

"Well, you can't leave me here by myself and you don't know how long you might be gone," he pointed out. He was probably already come up with a way where they would have to take him.

"We'll talk about it," Emma chimed in. They needed to figure out how this would work. Neal would not let her and Regina go alone, especially with the threat of Regina's demonic powers taking over or with Rumple lurking about.

Henry looked at them and decided to be easy tonight. He smiled and hugged them all before returning to his room. Emma sighed and leaned all the way back on the couch, taking Regina with her. Regina yelped as she fell against Emma's chest.

"Are we ever going to be rid of them? I mean, we're on the other side of the country and they still come get us over this crap," Emma sighed, arms firm around her wife.

Neal sighed, too, and rubbed his face with his hands. "I think I'm living proof you never get away from this bullshit and I don't even have magic."

"I'm not looking forward to this crap. I mean, if they can keep pulling us in, then they can pull Henry in and later Lucia. It's too much crap," Emma said. She did not want this for her kids. Henry would probably pull away from it. He seemed content with his normal life, but now she had to worry for Lucia and it was beyond the usual parental worries. Fuck her parents for bringing something like that into her life.

"How about we all just retire for the night? We'll regroup here in the morning," Regina said.

"Can the regroup involve pancakes?" Neal requested with grinned.

Regina only groaned, which was just as good as a yes. Emma sighed again and hugged Regina tight before she directed Neal to her car keys. It would be best for him to get home as soon as he could, so he could process this and hopefully avoid running into his father on the street.

"How is it we can have the house to ourselves now and I feel like it's still crowded?" Emma wondered aloud.

Regina moved a hand to one of Emma's hand and stroked the attachment with her thumb. "Stress. This is more stress than we were ready for."

"This was a real nice couple of years, you know? I mean, it was touch and go at first, but we pulled it together. We got your magic under control. We worked out a relationship. I don't want to punch Neal in the face anymore. Neal's an actual okay guy and okay dad. Henry's a normal kid and Luce is an absolute doll. Now, there's this crap."

"All of those things will remain true even after this."

Emma nodded a little. "Yeah, I know. I hate this, though."

"I know. Come on, I know how to help you relax."

Emma arched an eyebrow. "Oh, yeah?"

"Yes. It first involves us going upstairs."

Emma grinned. Yeah, something involving upstairs might help for a little. "Lead the way." Regina wasted no time in doing so.

-8-8-8-8-

Regina stared into the dark as she and Emma settled into bed, a king-sized bed, even though Regina had wanted a bigger one. Emma could only be so decadent, though. Regina did not view it as settling, just doing something to make her spouse happy. Emma deserved to be indulged every now and then.

Besides, Regina got to pick the bedspread and the second Emma hit those sheets, Regina doubted she would hear about anything being "too decadent" ever again. Egyptian cotton could have that effect.

Regina had successfully calmed Emma with a bubble bath for both of them and then she gave Emma a massage. Of course, this led to other activities and Emma seemed properly soothed as they got ready for sleep. Emma had her arm around Regina, pulling her close to her chest. Regina rested her arm around Emma's waist. She drew light circles on Emma's bare skin.

"I don't want this for Luce," Emma said in a low voice.

"I don't want it for Lucia either. This little slice of suburbia that we have… I want this for her. I want her to grow up in a quiet town with good friends and hobbies and for her to go to college and never think about magic," Regina replied. It was probably the impossible dream, but she would dream it nonetheless.

A long sigh escaped Emma. "That's not going to happen, though, right?"

"No. If I've learned nothing else from raising Henry is that the truth finds a way. This is why I resolved we tell her the truth about her 'father' or lack thereof as soon as she can understand it and why I think we tell her the truth about why Mommy has so many tattoos on her back and arms should she ever notice."

Emma snickered. "We should tell her you have so many tattoos because you used to be cool and then you became an accountant."

Regina rolled her eyes. "We can't all carry a gun to be considered cool."

Emma leaned down and kissed her forehead. Emma's fingers worked their way to one of the many tattoos across her back and shoulders. Emma had favorites over the dozen designs and often kissed them when they had the time. For now, she traced the designs on Regina's back without having to see them, knowing them all by heart. Regina's skin tingled in a good way at each caress.

The tattoos had been the best they could do about repressing her magic. She had researched it when the feeling of ants crawling beneath her skin had seeped into her and scratched at her skin about a month after they left Storybrooke. She was not sure how much the tattoos worked, but cultures around the world claimed the symbols fought off demonic powers and such. She had many of them, never feeling quite right, no matter what symbol she got put on her with specially prepared ink. It was not until she was with Emma and gave birth to Lucia that she truly felt like the power died down and she was finally herself. She felt settled in her skin.

Emma shifted. "Would we have to tattoo Luce?"

Regina shook her head. "I doubt it. Remember, my powers didn't wake up until I went to Neverland."

"But, you were still strong enough to cast the Dark Curse."

"I needed training, though. Even if she has raw magic in her, it would be like you with magic. It accidentally manifests itself when you're stressed or excited in this world. If she starts stealing children's energy, then we'll worry," Regina remarked, even though this was a possibility.

Emma shook her head. "I hate that we have to worry about that now. I hate that I have to worry one day she'll probably hitchhike across the country to go check out Storybrooke and fuck only knows what'll happen."

Regina knew this was definitely a possibility, which was another reason she wanted to be open and honest with Lucia. Hopefully, when that curiosity hit her, she would trust her mothers and tell them or at the very least take her big brother with her. Maybe they would be lucky and Lucia would just take their word on it. They would have to see what type of person she grew into.

"This family is my light, you know?" Regina said. She could not, _would_ _not_ lose them, not any of them.

Emma laughed. "I'm very aware, Regina. I know it took us a while to get to this, but I definitely know now."

Shifting a bit, Regina moved to play with the ends of Emma's hair. "I used to wonder why you always came back for me and then, when I saw you drinking and crying because of your parents, I realized why it was. I had so many emotions for you and I think my powers understood that, which was why our magic reached out for each other after Neverland. You made me feel like Regina. You _make_ me feel like Regina."

Emma moved now, trying to look Regina in the eye. "Why are you talking like this?"

"I just want you to know this." They would go back to Storybrooke, she knew. Would she be strong enough to walk back out? She was not sure.

"Regina, if anyone can beat the shit out of demonic powers, you know it's you, right? You're scrapped and clawed for everything you've got and look at what you've got? I mean, shit, all of us have, so you can't talk like this is the end. Besides, do you want me and Neal raising Luce?"

Regina laughed. "While I love you and my brother dearly, I should like to be here for Lucia for her life. Just with you making her believe her name is Luce is too much for me."

"Right, so you're coming back. Besides, you pay all the bills. You want us to end up homeless?"

Regina laughed even more. She, Emma, and Neal were very independent individuals, but they each learned to let each other take care of each other. She did her part with meals and bills. Emma set up all of their dates and took over tons of responsibility during tax season when Regina got very busy with work. Neal liked to take Henry and Lucia out on field trips to strange places and he fixed things around the house when Emma could not handle it. Neal also handled outside chores, like making sure the cars were serviced. These were only a few things, but it helped them intertwine their lives.

"We still have so much to do," Regina said. This was what would get her through everything. She had so much life ahead of her, so many anniversaries, birthdays, holidays, and other important events. She wanted to be there for those.

"Yes, we do. After all, you owe me some steamy birthday sex soon enough." Emma grinned.

Regina snorted. "Of course you would go there. But, yes, that is part of the many reasons I have so much life ahead of me."

"Good. So, if necessary, we will go help these idiots in Storybrooke and we're coming back here. And, we have to do it quick because Henry can only miss so much school," Emma joked.

"So, we're taking him." Regina suspected they would have to do so. Neal would insist on coming and they could not leave the kids with anyone, especially since they were not sure how long they would be gone.

"As long as it's not dangerous and if it becomes dangerous, we'll have Neal get him out of there."

Regina nodded. "I'm surprised you thought this through this well."

Emma puffed out her cheeks, pretending to be offended. "I think every now and then."

Henry probably missed Storybrooke, even though he loved their new home. He could spend time with his grandparents, the ones less likely to try to kill him, though more likely to get him in serious trouble. Neal would keep him safe, or die trying, though. This left them with another problem.

"Who would watch Lucia?" Regina asked. They had friends here, but she did not trust any of them to watch her toddler for an undetermined amount of time.

Emma tensed. Apparently, she had not thought of everything. "We'd have to take her into that craziness?"

"Yes."

The scowl on Emma's face could have stopped an invasion. "You don't think Neal will stay behind with her?"

Regina scoffed. "I'm certain Neal will not stay behind point blank." If Neal thought Rumple might be near her, he would want to be there, ready to tear the imp apart with his bare hands if necessary.

"This is true. He's so overprotective of you."

This was one of the things Regina actually loved about Neal. He was dead serious about being a big brother and she enjoyed it. She sometimes wondered if she was as good as sister, as he was a brother. He made it seem so, but she supposed she would never truly know.

"Okay, kids come, but if anything goes sideways, we get out immediately," Emma said.

Regina did not like this, but it was the best they could do. "Fine."

"How long do you think we'll be there?"

"I'm not sure. It would depend on the severity of the problem, which I'm not totally sure of at the moment. Hopefully, we'll only be there a couple of days."

"Yeah, or so we hope."

"You don't want to see anyone there?" Regina could not believe that. Emma had some friends in Storybrooke. She even wondered about them every now and then over the years. She kept in touch with Ruby, after all.

"Well, yeah, a couple of people, I guess. I'd rather have you guys all safe and here, though."

Regina leaned down and kissed Emma. "You are such a sweetheart."

"Can you remember that when I'm being an idiot?"

"Oh, I never forget that. You can be both at the same time, you know. In fact, you often are. Now, go to sleep, my noble idiot. You'll need the rest as you try to go save Storybrooke yet again," Regina said.

Emma sighed, but snuggled in closer. "I don't wanna."

"But, you will." It was not an order, just a fact.

Emma yawned. "Probably, but doesn't mean I wanna."

Regina chuckled and kissed the top of Emma's head. For her, Emma's reluctant hero persona showed that sometimes nature won. She knew not to tell Emma that she was like her father, though. Charming himself was probably too stupid to realize it. If he did, he would have been a little more interested in Emma's life. Once, she would have thought he would figure it out, but now, she thought he was just stupid. She always thought Snow was stupid, stupid and hardheaded.

 _And we have to deal with that tomorrow_. The thought alone made her head hurt. She decided to get some sleep before she had any other troubling thoughts.

-8-8-8-8-

Regina went all out for breakfast, which her family expected. They knew in times of great stress, Regina cooked and Regina baked. When Emma had been trying to drink herself to death, Regina used to make her homemade donut holes to try to bring her out of her funk. When Henry won a game or a contest, Regina made his favorite dinners and desserts. So, breakfast was something a buffet would have thought was excessive. Of course with the way everyone except she and Lucia ate, it would probably all be gone before noon.

"Oh, my god! French toast!" Emma was at the table at lightning speed.

"Don't eat it all!" Henry jumped down the stairs. "I'm surprised the whole neighborhood isn't at the door trying to get some of this from the way it smells." He paused and gawked at the table when he got to the dining room. "No way! You made crepes, too? Are you dying? Are we dying? Is someone dying?" The questions were a joke, as he definitely knew how stressed his parents were.

Neal joined in the feeding frenzy as soon as he came through the door. By the time the Charmings showed up, Regina's brood was on their second breakfast. With the exception of Lucia, who was enjoying a small bowl of oatmeal with strawberries that was everywhere but her mouth. Her face was covered in strawberry juice. She would need a bath right after.

"Please, help yourself to breakfast," Regina told them as civilly as she possibly could. "I've made oatmeal if you'd like Leo to have some of that." She realized she shortened his name as soon as she was done speaking, but decided it was better than having to spit out his real name.

Snow's and David's eyes went wide and they audibly gasped when they witnessed the spread. Pancakes, the French toast was gone, a couple of waffles, a few crepes, scrambled eggs, fried eggs, biscuits, diced fruit, bacon, sausage, hash browns, and three types of juice awaited them along with coffee. The table was so loaded, Henry, Neal, and Emma just held their plates in their hands and ate standing up. _Barbarians_. But, they were _her_ barbarians, Regina's heart fondly reminded her.

"This looks like a restaurant," Snow said, awe in her voice.

"Help yourself. Watch your fingers," Regina remarked. She had already eaten. While she cooked in times of stress, it was hard to eat. She had a little bit of oatmeal and that was enough for her churning stomach.

"This is quaint." The chilling voice in the foyer caused all activity to cease.

Emma's eyes went wide and she glared at her parents. "You brought Gold?" she roared in disbelief. Regina could not believe how stupid and insensitive Snow and her shepherd could actually be.

Neal's attention shot up from his food, shoving his plate onto the table, and marched to the door. "I told you to stay the hell away from my sister and you have the fucking nerve to come to her fucking house? What the fuck is wrong with you?" He made a fist and Regina honestly did not care if he hit Rumple or not.

"No need for violence," Rumple said in a light tone. It set Regina's teeth on edge and she truly hoped Neal punched the crap out of him.

"That never seems to be the case with you," Emma said. Her plate was on the table and she joined Neal, standing shoulder to shoulder with him. They blocked the hall, so Rumple would not be able to get deeper into the house. Well, if Neal did not punch Rumple, it was almost a certainty that Emma would.

"So, get the fuck out before I throw you out." Neal put his finger in Rumple's face and definitely was not lying about throwing him out.

Rumple held up a hand. "Easy. I've decided to come because I figured Snow and her dear prince did not explain how dire the situation is back in Storybrooke if the Savior did not immediately agree to help."

"Yeah, my help's not coming immediately for anyone at the moment if they don't usually hang out with me on weekends. So, I don't care how dire the situation is. I need time to think it over and I also need you to get the fuck out of my house," Emma replied.

"Storybrooke might not have that sort of time," Rumple said.

"What is the problem, dear?" Regina inquired, stepping over to the scene. She was not afraid him. He was beneath her and not worthy of sharing the same air as her or her family. "We've been told the well is acting similar to the trigger where it is pulling magic from Storybrooke and returning it to the Enchanted Forest and there's a possibility of it sucking magic from people and killing them." Of course, that last part could have been added to ensure Emma jumped at the request for help.

Rumple scoffed. "This is much more dangerous than your little trigger. First, it will take the magic, but then it will slowly pull us back to the Enchanted Forest, not just those with magic."

"Then go home," Emma said.

"It will not pull us that way. It will go little by little as it's doing with the magic. It will drain of us of magical power and then of our life forces. It will kill us all before it pulls our bodies back to the Forest in the form of dust."

Regina groaned. Of course. So, apparently, they were going to have to do this. Emma glanced over at her. She could only frown and Emma frowned as well. They both knew they were going to have to do this and they both had a feeling this would not go well. It would not have been so bad if only Rumple was not here as well. His presence made everything seem poisonous.

"What if I just went to fix it?" Emma offered, even though they had not discussed this possibility. Things might actually work out if only Emma went. They definitely would not have to worry over Regina turning full demon. "After all, they came for me." Emma motioned to her parents. "The rest has been a shock for them."

It was true enough, not that Regina would let Emma go alone. She could not risk the Charmings undoing the great strides Emma made these past few years. This was all so unfair, as life all too often was.

Rumple gave Emma that stupid smug look he perfected as Gold. If he were the true imp, he would have giggled like mad. Regina was not sure which one pissed her off more.

"You, who has very limited understanding magic, and can barely summon it unless necessary? You wouldn't have been able to stop the trigger on your own, so you definitely won't be able to stop this on your own. Besides, we need a balance of power. This is how you stopped the trigger and this is how you can stop the well," Rumple replied.

"So, you need me and Regina?" Emma scoffed, folding her arms across her chest. "Or do you need to get Regina back into Storybrooke, so you can slay a demon?" This question got Henry up and now Rumple had the whole family glaring at him. He did not seem affected.

"I assure you that is not the case. Most people in Storybrooke are overjoyed with Regina being gone and would never want to see her return. I am of like mind on that. It just so happens we require you both at the moment or you can be responsible for the deaths of thousands. I know that's not new to Regina, but I thought made you—"

"All right, time to go!" Neal put his hand on Rumple's shoulder and practically flung him out of the door. Rumple turned as soon as he was over the threshold, like he had more to say. Neal slammed the door in Rumple's face with a snarl. "The nerve of that guy!"

Regina could see Snow and David were about to talk and they were probably going to say something stupid, as they had a habit of doing. "Everyone pack after they're done with breakfast and I'll order tickets," Regina announced. The sooner they got this headache over with, the better.

"So, I can come?" Henry asked with hope in his voice and a sparkle in his eye.

"It's not like we can leave you with your father because I know he's coming," Regina replied.

"Damn right I'm coming! If that guy comes within ten feet of you or Emma, I'm kicking his ass and that's if he's lucky," Neal proclaimed, pointing to the door.

Regina cleared her throat. "Language."

"Sorry. Why not just get one of your friends to take the kids?" Neal proposed.

"Not knowing how long we'll be away, neither of us is comfortable with leaving the children with a friend," Regina replied.

Neal groaned, but he did not change his mind on going. Regina exchanged a worried look with Emma. Emma took her into an embrace and just held her for a long moment. They had to hope all of the charms now covering Regina's body held up, as she was about to face a world with magic once again.

"Rumple really seemed to want us both to go and save the town. Can we trust him?" Emma asked, pressing Regina against her.

"Of course we can't." There had to be a reason Rumple wanted them both back in Storybrooke and it had to be a selfish reason. Unfortunately, the only way to uncover his scheme was to go into town. It was probably the only way to stop him and save lives.

-8-8-8-8-

Next time: going back to Storybrooke, they get to see if Regina can control her powers.


	16. First Level

I don't own these characters.

16: First Level

"Stop the car," Regina said as they came up to the Storybrooke town line. She was in the passenger seat of their rented mini-van.

Emma drove, as it helped keep her calm. Regina had only been able to look calm the entire trip. The idea of what could happen gnawed at her like jagged razors. But, this was necessary. Emma would not be able to live with herself if the denizens of Storybrooke perished and she could have done something to stop it.

Regina looked around. The woods surrounding them seemed thicker, darker than they had a few years ago, but it could be her imagination. The trees seemed bent and twisted and there was so much rustling, like the entire forest was watching them. Why did it all seem haunted?

"Regina." She jumped at the sound of her name. Emma reached over and took Regina's hand. Emma held on so tightly that it was hard to tell if her hand shook from nervousness or just the strain on her muscles. "You don't have to do this by yourself," Emma whispered.

Regina's heart pounded in her chest, making her whole torso ache. It was a struggle to keep tears out of her eyes. She just wanted to go home and she knew if she said that, Emma would turn the van around and they would return home. Unfortunately, she could not let that happen. She had to take a deep breath before trusting herself to speak.

"It's best if I go over alone, little by little. Maybe I'll be able to feel the change before it completely takes over if it does take over and I'll be able to pull back." She definitely did not want to be in a small space with her family if her demonic powers hit her full force and took over.

"Mom," Henry objected, moving to stick his head in between the two of them. He stared at Regina with wide, worried eyes. She smiled at him and ran her free hand through his hair.

"No, I need to keep you all safe. I love all of you to the stars and back. I do not want to be responsible for something happening to you." Beyond the tattoos, Regina had actually put on several pieces of jewelry that according to lore would be able to hold her demonic powers at bay. She needed to see on her own because this was the first real test for all of these things. It was one thing to hold her power off in a world with a little bit of magic. It was another thing to hold it off in a world created by magic.

Emma understood and she stopped the car. Regina smiled at her and leaned in for a kiss. The press of Emma's lips was soft, loving, and full of hope. Emma caressed her cheek as they pulled away.

"Go in ahead of me," Regina said. They would be able to see her if anything was wrong and possibly get to safety if something was wrong.

Emma only nodded. Regina opened her door and was about to step out when there was a hand on her shoulder. She turned to see Henry out of his seat again, clutching her shoulder. She put her hand on his and drummed against his knuckles. He smiled at her.

"I believe in you," Henry whispered, but his voice seemed so powerful.

Regina nodded. "That means a lot." It still meant everything actually.

"You got this," Neal added. She looked back at her brother and smiled at him.

She eased out of the car and watched Emma creep across the town line. The car disappeared from sight. For a brief moment, fear bubbled in her stomach to the point she thought she might throw up. Her heart pounded even heavier, like it might explode. Just not being able to see her family was the scariest thing ever, but she knew this was coupled with the idea that she might lose herself and hurt them.

Taking a deep breath, Regina tried to ground herself. While exhaling, she realized could feel Emma more strongly than ever. This settled things inside of her. The car and Emma was only a few feet from her, waiting for her undoubtedly. Her family was there. They were there for her.

Regina took another deep breath as her stomach turned and her throat burned. "Your family is there waiting. They believe in you. They have faith. Lucia is there. The light of your life. Go to Lucia. Go to Henry. Go to Emma. You would never hurt them. They know that. You know that. They are your light."

She managed to take a step, feeling a little wobbly. She blamed it on an uneven road. Leave it to Snow to let the streets fall into despair, even if the road was just outside of the town border.

"Focus," she hissed to herself, knowing her thoughts would keep down unimportant paths if she allowed it.

Reaching out, she could almost feel the barrier. With another breath, she took another step, the click of her heel on the pavement beat through her body. Her fingertips brushed up against the magic hiding the town. She ran her hand against the invisible wall. She could feel her magic swirl inside of her, but not that itching feeling from long ago. Slowly, she pushed her arm inside, thinking that was the safest course. If anything felt strange, she could quickly and easily yank her arm out. There was a dull buzz, but nothing she could not ignore. She could feel flashes against her skin, her tattoos reacting, fighting. One more breath, one more step and she was inside. In fact, she was in Emma's arms.

"How do you feel, babe?" Emma whispered into her ear as she pulled Regina close. She buried her face in Regina's hair for a moment.

Regina found herself taking yet another breath; it was short and shallow. She feared she might hyperventilate as her mind and body tried to adjust to new sensations. She let the air flow around her. There were sparks and jolts, but that was her familiar magic. The rest was a buzz, like white noise in her body. The tattoos and charms seemed to be doing the trick. Each tattoo actually lit up, getting familiar with the magic of the area and settling anything that popped inside of her. The bits of jewelry glowed briefly, but also calmed down as they adjusted to the heavy magic in the air.

"I'm fine," Regina replied with a long sigh. Emma rubbed her back and breathed her own sigh of relief.

"The tattoos working?" Henry asked, barely a foot away. His voice shook a little.

"I believe all of the wards are working," Regina answered. Little by little, she felt like herself on the inside, not a swirling storm.

Emma gave her a quick kiss on the lips and nuzzled her neck for a second. "Good. Let's do this and get out of here quickly."

Regina nodded, somewhat in a daze. She had been so scared this would not work, so scared she was about to be lost forever. As soon as Emma let her out of the embrace, Henry was on her, lifting her off of her feet as he held her close, squeezing her tightly. It did not matter to either of them that she could hardly breathe.

"Thank you," Henry sighed in her ear as he put her down and eased his hold on her.

"My prince, you know if I can help it, I'll never leave you," Regina said, returning the hug without trying to crush her son.

Henry let loose a dry sob before he finally completely let her go. She smiled at him. She was all right. Of course, that did not stop Neal for coming in for a hug as soon as Henry stepped out of the way. He squeezed her just as hard as Henry did. Regina laughed and hugged him back. He smiled at her, but she could see tears in his eyes.

"I'm all right," Regina assured him.

"If anything happens to you while we're in here, you know I'm going to kill him," Neal whispered.

"We should be fine. It should be fine." Or so she hoped. Rumple probably planned for this somehow, but he did not know them as well as he thought he did. They were not the same people from three years ago.

Neal nodded, but did not look completely convinced. Still, he gave a sigh and released her from their embrace. They all piled back into the car and entered the town proper.

Regina's brow furrowed as she took the place in. It was easy to spot the areas where the magic had already been soaked into the well. There were trees and bushes in the middle of the street, or through buildings, or overturning benches, and things like that. There were open meadows where there used to be houses or stores. But, beyond that, there were changes to the town.

When she first cast the Curse, there used to be people moving about the town during the day. It was busy and lively, which had gotten tedious and annoying eventually, but now there was something else. It seemed somber. The streets were empty, save a few bits of trash blowing in the wind. The air even seemed heavier and smelled of stale sorrow. Maybe it was because she was different.

Inhaling, she tried to feel out the magic, determine if she could tell the difference. There was definitely something up here, but she could not entirely tell what. This would require real investigation.

"Why are there no animals here?" Regina wondered aloud. If the town was returning to the woods, then why were there no animals out? This might be something beyond the other realm just suddenly deciding it wanted its magic back.

"They're probably hiding out since there are people around," Henry replied. This made sense, except there were no people around right now. Something should have allowed its curiosity to get the better of it and wandered out for a look around.

"You think everyone's at the town hall to protest the fact that you're back?" Emma asked Regina. Emma forced out a laugh, but her eyes showed concern.

"I could not care less. I just want to get this done within the day and then get back home," Regina replied. Even if Rumple had not given them the full story, she still felt like they could fix this problem quickly and return to their lives. They might even be able to avoid falling into whatever trap Rumple hoped to set.

"Sounds good," Emma agreed.

They pulled up in front of _Granny's_. They planned to get a room at the bed and breakfast, especially since Snow and David broke the news that someone had taken up residency in Regina's home. Of course it was them, because somehow they deserved her house. She was not upset over it. She had no plans to return to that house and she got out everything worthwhile to her. Hopefully, it would give them a better life, as it had her.

"Emma!" Ruby charged Emma as soon as Emma got out of the car. Emma groaned as Ruby wrapped her in a hug.

"Watch your paws, Miss Lucas. Emma is spoken for," Regina said. She knew the two were friends, but she never bothered to find out if the relationship went further than that at some point in their early history.

Ruby simply laughed. "Don't worry. She told me. Plus, I smell it." She looked at Emma. "Can't imagine what happened out there in the world for Regina to claim you, but you guys always seemed to pretty close to having angry wall sex when you were here."

"Ew!" Henry covered his ears as he got out of the car.

Ruby laughed even more as she took in the sight of Henry the teenager. "Look how tall you are!"

Henry chuckled a bit now and he moved to give Ruby a hug. Emma made sure to break it up before it got inappropriately long. Regina disliked this phase of teenage-hood where they needed to watch Henry hugging people, which was probably their own paranoia thanks to Neal scaring the crap out of them about his teenage years, and they had to disregard how long he was in the shower. Although, she had never been happier to have Neal around when Henry started having questions about his body and he was embarrassed about his laundry. To get rid of those thoughts, Regina focused on unstrapping Lucia from her car seat.

"You traveled so well, _princesa_ ," Regina kissed Lucia's cheek.

"And there's the baby!" Ruby was over to her before she fully had Lucia in her arms. Somehow Regina doubted the rest of the town would be this enthused to see them, but this reaction was quite pleasant. "Can I please hold her, please?" Ruby grinned at her with pleading, big actual puppy eyes.

Regina glanced at Emma, who nodded. "Very well. Just be careful of her."

Ruby took Lucia, who was generally good with going to people as long as they seemed friendly enough. Lucia grinned and went right for Ruby's hair, taking a fistful in one hand. Ruby only laughed more.

Regina suspected there was something more to Ruby's reaction than just happiness to see a friend. She would leave Emma to get the story behind that. She was Emma's friend, after all.

"I should call Tink and let her know you made it!" Ruby practically bounced at the thought.

"I tried to get in touch with her," Regina said.

Ruby shook her head. "The reception is horrible where she is. She really only gets calls when she's here. Sometimes, I get lucky, but there are other ways to get in touch with her."

Regina nodded and decided to leave it to Ruby. The family grabbed their bags; Emma shouldered Lucia's bag as well. They entered the bed and breakfast to find it empty except for Granny, who was behind the counter. She smiled at all of them as they came in the door.

"Look what the wolf dragged in. I didn't think I'd ever see you folks again," Granny commented, looking at them over her glasses.

"Why? I always told people we'd be back," Emma replied. Yeah, she said that, but that was when she thought it was true.

Maybe it would always be true, however unfortunate and depressing that thought was. Their family was linked to this town, chained to it. Regina did not want it to a burden to Emma, though. She knew these people would suck Emma dry if Emma allowed them and Emma's nature would allow them.

"Yeah, that starts seeming less and less true after a year, though. Even more so at three years," Ruby said. "Granny, look at this cute baby! Leo's got a rival here!" Ruby presented Lucia to Granny.

Granny inspected Lucia, looking her up and down as Lucia stood on the counter. Lucia stared at the keys on the wall, her eyes wide, like simple keys were the best thing ever. Granny smiled.

"She is adorable, but you gotta expect that of certain kids." Granny then turned her attention to the group. "You know they're having a town meeting about you all being here, right?"

"We know they don't want me here, but I'm not here for them," Regina said. She just wanted to support Emma, who needed to save lives.

Granny shook her head. "Not just you, your Majesty. The people didn't take kindly to the Savior walking off in the middle of her job. They feel abandoned and they're not sure you deserve to be here."

Emma scoffed and folded her arms across her chest. "I broke the Curse. I don't owe them anything beyond that."

Granny laughed. "I knew there was a reason I liked you. Now, what do you all need… three rooms?"

"Two is good," Neal chimed in. "Henry and I can bunk together." He clapped Henry on the shoulder for no reason.

Granny arched an eyebrow. "Share with Henry? Not Emma?"

"Granny!" Ruby huffed, stomping her foot. She glared at her grandmother. Regina found herself impressed that Ruby had not shared any information Emma shared with her over the years, no matter how shocking it had to be when Emma told her that she married Regina.

Sighing, Emma pinched the bridge of her nose. "Lemme guess, my parents have been telling people the reason I didn't come back was because I ran off with Neal and he and I were being a family with Henry or something?"

"Well…" Ruby shrugged. "That's what they went with the first couple of years, anyway." She knew it was not true, but did not see the point in contradicting anyone, apparently.

Rolling her eyes, Emma scoffed. "Unbelievable." She put her arm around Regina's waist and looked Granny directly in the eye. "I ran off with Regina."

Granny chuckled. "I can see that now. And smell it."

"I think it's more accurate that we all ran off together. But, none of this matters. This issue Snow has called us in for, is it truly as serious as she and the imp made it seem?" Regina asked. It was good to get the opinion of the werewolves. They had true magic inside of them and they would likely tell if they felt they were going to be destroyed.

Granny and Ruby exchanged looked, probably weighing if they should trust Regina. Ruby looked to Emma, who nodded. Ruby then looked to Lucia, who giggled and went for Ruby's hair again. Ruby laughed, even as Lucia tugged on her hair.

"Every now and then, we can feel a pull and then we get tired, really tired. Sometimes it happens for a short time and other times not so much. It happens to a lot people around here," Ruby replied.

"How long has this been going on?" Emma asked.

"A few months," Ruby answered.

"Why didn't you call and tell me?" Emma frowned a little, but her eyes were hurt.

Ruby shook her head. "I didn't want to worry you. I know you didn't want to come back for whatever reason. I mean, if you did, you would have. Besides, we've got other people around here to handle magic stuff."

"Have they been trying to handle it?" Emma pressed.

Ruby sighed. "They have, but nobody can get a handle on it so far."

Regina nodded. So, maybe things were as dire as they were made to seem. Regina figured she could get some more information later. For now, bags were placed in their rooms and then the family went into the diner to wait for Snow and David to return from the town hall. They tucked into a booth. Henry had a milkshake, delivered by Ruby, who walked off with Lucia for her troubles.

"I'll try to get in touch with Tink," Ruby called to them as she disappeared in the back for a moment.

"Okay, I missed these so much," Henry moaned after a sip of his chocolate shake.

"Do you and the shake need to put a sock on the door?" Neal laughed as he lightly punched Henry in the shoulder.

"Hey! Whoa!" Emma put her hands up. "That's our son there. You do dad jokes and guy things when we're not around. Regina still thinks he's five and I'll not have you shatter that delusion for her."

Regina rolled her eyes, but did not deny it. Henry had turned around on her, which made her thoughts go back to a five-year-old Henry. He loved her wholeheartedly again, wanted to be around her, wanted to protect her, and trusted her. She felt this was a valid excuse for never wanting to hear Neal say anything to indicate her little prince was turning into a man.

Neal winked at her, showing he sometimes did these "dad/guy" things just to get to her. Regina sneered at him and he just smiled more. And to think there were times when she was thankful for an older brother.

"So, Ruby, what's been going on around here?" Emma asked as Ruby stood Lucia on the tabletop and tried to teach her some hand game. Lucia mostly just giggled and clapped, but Ruby was not deterred.

"The usual. Terror, murder, and mayhem. This is only the latest apocalypse of the day. You probably would've enjoyed the zombies," Ruby replied.

Emma's mouth dropped open and she hit her palms on the table. "No!"

"I kid you not, we had an infestation of zombies, did the whole 'braaaaaiinnnns' thing and everything. You would've loved it."

"Aw." Emma actually pouted, shoulders slumped and everything. "How'd that happen?"

"Whale," Regina said with Ruby. That one was way too easy.

Ruby then filled them in on the disasters they missed in the past three years. Beyond the zombies, someone had unleashed seven deadly plagues on the town, complete with the embodiment of pestilence on a white horse. They suspected Gold, but could not figure out why he would do it. The container of the plagues had last been in his possession.

"Do you think he could be part of this latest disaster?" Regina asked.

Ruby shrugged. "It's possible. He's been up to stuff since you guys left. We don't know why he unleashed the plagues. So, it's possible he did something like this. I don't see how, but it's possible. This could be worse than the damn plagues, which wasn't pleasant at all. The council did the best it could to fix that crap."

"The council? So, you guys never elected a new mayor?" Emma sounded disappointed at this realization.

Ruby shrugged again. "We're used to unelected leaders, you know?" Her face did not appear used to unelected leaders.

Emma scoffed. "Liar. You still consider yourself Ruby, so I know you're not missing the Enchanted Forest as much as people want you to."

Ruby did not deny that and there were probably others who felt the same way, but did not speak up. The powerful undoubtedly wanted to get back to the Enchanted Forest, but those who had little, material or otherwise, in the other realm and had more here… they were silenced again. It had to hurt to have had voices for just a little while and then to go back to faceless peasant. This was not Regina's problem, though. Those peasants knew how to rise up and fight for themselves, or at least fight for an official they liked more.

To avoid talking more about the changes and how Storybrooke was more like the Enchanted Forest, Ruby went into other harrowing experiences for the town. Two Lost Boys turned out to be bad news, got their hands on magic stolen from some of the other witches around town, and destroyed a huge section of the "rich part of town."

"There's a rich part of a middle class town? This just gets better and better," Emma grumbled.

"It was always there. It's just different people now," Ruby said with a shrug. She sort of rolled her eyes. It was probably the rich people of the Enchanted Forest, allies of Snow's or at least enemies of hers.

"When did anyone start realizing the town was disappearing beyond it being just random shrubby showing up?" Regina asked, not wanting to hear any more about this. Her old neighborhood had been the "rich" part of town, filled with people who had been loyal to her, kind to her, or just caught her attention in some positive way. She feared what might have happened to them in this new Storybrooke. _Probably off rotting in some dungeon somewhere_.

"A couple of months ago still. The first time it happened, a cave showed up in a park or something and kids ran for the fairies over it. Blue and the fairies suspected the well was sucking up magic and went to do what they could, but a few fairies got too close and the well practically obliterated them. It was not a pretty sight," Ruby replied.

Regina made a noise and nodded. The Fae was practically pure magic. "Tinker Bell was not one of them, was she?" The question was out before she realized it, but once she asked, she needed to know. Their communications had not been great, even though Tinker Bell had her number. It was hard for them to relate over the phone and Tinker Bell did not seem comfortable with the technology. Plus, now she knew Tinker Bell did not get good reception wherever she was living now.

Ruby shook her head. "No. Tink has kept her distance from Blue and the other fairies since you left. She doesn't believe they did right by you and she doesn't agree with Blue's leadership. She was living here for a while, but she just hates having to look at them. She's been living in the woods for a good while now, trying to avoid all of the drama. She comes in every now and then for supplies or to help if something really big goes down and we chat, but she's not interested in getting involved in anything with Blue, the fairies, hell sometimes in general."

 _Forever loyal and also smart_. The last time Tinker Bell had gotten involved had not ended well, after all. "Was Rumple able to get close to the well?" This might be able to help her pinpoint if he was behind this or not.

"Yeah, but not for long, same with Blue. They said it felt like the well was shredding them. So, you two need to be careful when you go near it," Ruby warned them.

Before Ruby could tell them more, people flooded into the diner. At the head of the group was the Blue Fairy with Snow and David. It would seem the town hall meeting was done. Blue did not look happy. Regina rose to her feet, in case she needed to protect her family. It was not a surprise her family ended up right at her side. And, thankfully, Ruby backed away with Lucia.

"Let's be clear. If you are here to seal the well, you will do that and only that," Blue said to Regina.

Regina arched an eyebrow. "And who would dare stop me should I decide to do more? This certainly is a terrible way to ask for a favor." It was like Blue had forgotten Regina could put her hand in her chest. Or maybe, that was all Blue could think about as she stared at Regina.

"No one wants any favors from you!" someone in the crowd called.

"Oh, good. Then me and mine can return home," Regina remarked, motioning to her family at her side.

"Wow, I expected to miss a few more days of work for this," Emma quipped. "Happy to find out that's not true."

"Let's all cool down, people!" Snow called into the crowd and then she turned back to the Swan-Mills family. "We want to take you to the well and see if you can work any magic on it."

Regina nodded and turned to Emma and Neal. "We'll go to the well. You stay here with Henry and Lucia. Okay?"

"You sure you don't want me there? Just in case." Neal looked into the crowd, probably scanning for Rumple.

"We can handle this," Emma assured him. Truthfully, if something went down, Neal would probably not be of much help against Rumple in Storybrooke.

Neal sighed, which was good enough. Regina and Emma gave Henry a hug and he wished them luck. They then went to Lucia, who Ruby held close while watching the crowd. Regina hugged Lucia and kissed her.

"Mama and Eima will be back. Be good for Hen and Uncle, okay?" Regina said and Lucia nodded. "Be good for you new friend Ruby, as well, all right?" Lucia nodded even more.

Emma came in for her own cheek kiss. "Love you, bub. Tell Ruby to tell you great stories, especially with zombies." Lucia giggled, not having a clue what Emma was talking about.

Ruby winked. "I'll be sure to keep her and Henry properly entertained."

"Thanks," Emma said. Regina knew Ruby actually meant properly protected. Emma trusted her, so this was good enough for Regina.

-8-8-8-8-

The whole town practically accompanied them to the well. Emma grumbled the whole time. Regina was not happy with this development either, scowling the whole trip. One would think the town could show a little trust when they needed help. She had little desire to harm these people anymore. Hell, she had barely thought of them in the past three years.

Emma was the same. Establishing their home with their family had turned this town into just another place Emma once lived to her. Hell, if Ruby did not live in Storybrooke, Emma probably would not have mentioned the place ever again.

"This looks like a movie, a horror movie," Emma commented as they came closer to the well.

The trees and brush had closed in around the well. It was much harder to get to than it used to be with tree roots in the way and hanging vines blocks old paths. The well sucking up the magic was actually visible. It looked like smoky waves, a mix of violet, blue, and light green, covering the nearby ground and flowing up into the well. Something was wrong, beyond that, though.

The air felt like it crept over through the trees and popped with electricity every now and then. There was an odd smell, not quite like rotting eggs, but just beneath that. There was a scurrying noise rustling through the leaves, like there were rats about, but there was nothing there.

"I'm half-expecting to see three humpback crones going 'double-bubble, toil, and trouble," Emma remarked with a grin.

Regina cut her a glance. "You are aware that's not the actual quote, right?"

"I live with you and Henry. Of course I'm aware. Still, just a little disappointed that's not happening."

Regina rolled her eyes. "I'm sure the Wayward Sisters lament not being here to fulfill your expectations. I'm also sure they'd love to know you imagine them as humpbacks. Still, hopefully, this will make up for messing the zombie apocalypse."

Emma groaned. "I still can't believe that. Do you realize how many one-liners we missed out on?"

"For someone who hates being a hero, you certainly do love your one-liners," Regina commented blandly as she opened a bag she had with her. She had some equipment to make a basic assessment of the well beyond what she could feel in the atmosphere.

With a chuckle, Emma shrugged. "I've got a bunch of 'em. Plus, the movies practically raised me. What do you expect?"

"I expect you to keep your one-liners to yourself," Regina replied.

Emma rolled her eyes. "You know you love my one-liners." The conversation was cut short by frustrated mumbling from the unwanted crowd. "So, what do you think of this well and magic and junk?"

"Give me a moment." In the past few years, Regina had basically earned a PhD in old world magic, as well rumors of magic in this realm. She was certain her knowledge could rival Rumple's and Blue's at this point.

Emma was quiet while she assessed the situation. The rest of the people, though, were not as kind. They hurled insults and grumbled about her actions the entire time. Regina ignored them as best she could. She touched the well and pulled her hand back, not surprised to feel the tug at her own magic. The Enchanted Forest wanted its magic back, but something had to start this. She needed to plug the flow and hopefully get enough magic back for Storybrooke to continue its existence.

"Why should the Forest want the magic back now?" Regina pondered.

"Something hinky is going on," Emma answered the obvious.

"That's if we're lucky." Regina could feel something a bit more devious just underneath the natural magic.

"Luck means getting to use one-liners. This is our par for the course Storybrooke crap."

Regina could not argue that. She tested a few things, wanting to see the rate the well drew in magic, wanting to see if she could pinpoint when this actually started, and wanting to see if she could figure out if this was natural or manmade… or imp made. She also wanted to see if the well was only taking a certain type of magic since it destroyed a couple of fairies.

"Emma, I want to do a quick experiment, but I need you to be extremely careful as I make a request of you," Regina said.

"Anything you need," Emma replied.

"Touch the well. Do not linger. On and off, quickly." If Emma were destroyed, Regina was just going to destroy the whole town and be done with it.

Emma nodded and did as asked. Just a quickly as Regina ordered. She hissed briefly as she pulled her fingers back. Regina arched an eyebrow as she looked at Emma's fingertips.

"Slight pain?" Regina asked.

Emma nodded. "Like touching a hot pot. That mean anything?"

"It destroyed fairies. It must not be about light magic or human magic. It must be about Fae magic. This isn't something that occurred naturally. If the realm was just trying to take back its magic, it would pull us all at the same rate," Regina replied. She needed to dig deeper.

For a moment, Regina looked out into the crowd, ignoring the angry screaming. Rumple was not there. Was this really a trap? Scanning around, Regina did not catch a glimpse of the imp. She tried to feel for his magic and got nothing. She turned her attention back to the well.

"I think… a transfer," she muttered.

Emma was busy keeping an eye on the increasingly angry mob not too far from them. "Huh?"

"Someone—I shant say any names—tampered with the well and then tried to cover it up," Regina said.

"The name you shant say…" Emma had to pause to roll her eyes. "Why would that no name son of a bitch do it?"

Regina sighed. "No clue. I'm sure it has something to do with escaping town and finding his boy."

"But, he escaped town and knew where to find us."

"Only after causing this little hiccup. This way your parents could lead him straight to us. I don't know if he did this on purpose or not. I don't think it would be hard to fix for us, but this could have ended very poorly for everyone else here."

Emma growled and scanned the crowd, possibly trying to find the bastard herself. "What a fucking douche."

Regina could not argue that. Taking her time to study the well a little more, she glanced at Emma again. Emma was focused on the crowd around them once more, eyes narrowed and daring someone to try anything. Emma had to feel her eyes, as she turned to look at her.

"You okay?" Emma asked.

"I'm going to need things in my other bag," Regina announced. This was not overly complex magic at work, just a very powerful pull and needed a delicate hand. It made sense. The other realm existed with magic practically crackling in the air, so it drawing the power back in like drain worked in her head. Maybe this was just setup.

"What? Just do what you need to do here," one of the dwarves demanded. It was the angry one, Leroy or Grumpy or whatever he went by.

"If I could wave my hands and fix this, believe me, I would. I have very little desire to be here long. Unfortunately, this is more complicated and delicate than that," Regina replied. She would need special inks, powders, paper, and potions.

"You can fix this, then?" Emma asked.

"Well, _we_ can fix this, yes." Going through her internal magical library, she had several theories, but she needed Emma for all of them. "I have a couple of ideas. First, I want to apply several wards to this." She tapped the well. She pulled her hand back as it zapped her. That might welt up in a couple of minutes.

"Wards? You think we didn't try that?" the Blue Fairy snorted.

Regina did not even bother to look at the uppity fairy. "I'm sure you did, but I don't believe your magic or Rumple's magic was enough to counter what's going on here. Did you even bother to truly examine this problem?"

Blue narrowed her gaze. "What are you trying to say? Of course I did."

"Then, you would know something like this needs a balance because that's what it's trying to do. It wants to restore the balance." Someone had tried to do something with the well and its magic, which the well did not seem to like and was trying to fix itself.

"I understand that. I'm not sure if you're capable of a balance, though. I'm not sure why they brought you along in the first place. You're little more than a demon, worse than the Dark One."

Regina arched an eyebrow. "Enough for you to work with the Dark One?" Was this a setup between Blue and Rumple? Both agreeing she was more of a danger to them both than anything else.

Blue glared at her. "I would never reduce myself to work with an imp." She glanced at Emma. "If only the savior had the same standards."

Emma flipped Blue her middle finger. "At least I don't get off on ruining kids' lives."

"No, you just get off with a demon. Disgusting." Blue scowled. "You bring her along when we need you magic to restore the well. Regina couldn't possibly know about balance. She's darker than dark, after all."

Regina rolled her eyes. She had done plenty of reading on restoring balance to things, trying to figure out how to at least balance out the new power within her with her other magic. It had not worked, but she read enough. She was certain she could work out a way to fix this issue in minimum time. Of course, every second here felt like an eternity.

"You only say that because you're incapable of restoring balance here," Regina replied. The well could devour any fae magic.

Blue had nothing to say to that, which Regina expected. Yes, Blue and Rumple were powerful, probably the most powerful beings in Storybrooke. But, they were still only Fae. She as a demigod-demon and student of magic from this world and their own could probably do more than them. With Emma's help, she would correct this problem for them posthaste. They might even be able to avoid Rumple's trap, if such a thing was waiting.

Regina sighed and decided to walk back to _Granny's_. She did not want to risk using her magic on the well until absolutely necessary. If using her magic triggered the dark force inside of her, she wanted their job to be done and she wanted to be able to practically run out of town.

"We can be out of here by tomorrow?" Emma asked, walking beside her.

The crowd followed them, but they pretended no one was there. Regina took Emma's hand and was not surprised by the small jolt between them. Their magic liked to mingle and it felt good, especially some place where their magic could flow freely. There was loud grumbling behind them about their hands being linked, but they ignored that, too.

"I don't see why not. I just need to get a few things for this and I believe we can handle it. I suppose we should tell Henry to go see whatever or whoever he wants, so this trip can be short," Regina replied.

"Short and sweet."

"I'll also have to talk to Rumple and Blue and find out what techniques they tried with the well, just to make sure my plan of attack isn't the same. I might be able to figure out if Rumple is behind this as well."

Emma shrugged. "Okay. If you need my help with that second thing, you know I'm here."

"I know, but subtly isn't your strong point."

Hazel eyes rolled. "You're only just a little less subtle than I am."

Regina had to laugh at that since Emma was about as subtle as a chainsaw. "And I need about an hour to teach you something."

Emma smirked. "Oh, teach me something." She bumped Regina with her hip.

Regina chuckled. "Actually teach you something. Other lessons will hold until we are done with this little project."

Emma pouted cutely. If she stuck it out through this mission and did not punch anyone who did not deserve it, Regina would arrange for them to have a nice quiet weekend when they got back home. And by quiet, she meant kid-free and naked in bed with some homemade donuts thrown into the mix if Emma was really good. Emma deserved a reward just for putting up with all of the horrible things being said about her just behind them. Regina glanced back.

Emma tugged her hand. "Hey, I'm not paying them any mind and neither should you. I don't give a damn what they got to say. When we leave, I leave with you and our kids. They're not coming with us."

Regina smiled. "Thank the gods for small favors." Of course, this did not stop her from wanting to turn everyone into toads. In fact, if anyone got up the nerve to call Emma "the Evil Queen's bitch" to her face, that person had better hope there was a prince around to break a froggy curse.

Once they made it back to _Granny's_ , Regina wanted to check on Neal and the kids first. Ruby was still regaling them with tales. Belle had joined them and Tinker Bell had found her way there. Lucia cheered as soon as they came in.

"Mama! Eima! Ruby funny!" Lucia giggled like mad, as she jumped up on Ruby's lap.

"Then, she hasn't changed," Emma said, petting the top of Lucia's head. She leaned down and kissed the girl's cheek.

"Are we all finished up?" Neal asked while Regina offered Tinker Bell a smile. Tink waved back, which was enough for both of them.

"No, I needed to do a diagnosis. The problem seems treatable. A little suspicious, but treatable. I require some things from my bag and I also need to quickly teach Emma a spell," Regina stated.

Tinker Bell nodded. "The suspicious part I get."

"Then, I think I'll also talk to you about it. None of this should take long, though. So, Henry, if there's something you had your heart set on, you may wish to do it now," Regina stated.

Henry shrugged. "Maybe just get some comic books for old time sake. I'm having fun with Ruby and she gave me permission to write her story sometime. It's nice to catch up with…" Henry glanced at Belle. He always seemed unsure of what to call her. "Uh… Belle. There's nothing else for me to really do."

Regina did not argue. She leaned down and kissed his forehead for no reason other than she loved him. She kissed Lucia for the same reason. She and Emma made their escape just as the Blue Fairy and the Charmings entered. Henry called his grandparents over as his mothers left. Tinker Bell waved her phone, probably as a signal to text her when they could talk.

"So, what do you need?" Emma asked once they were in their room. Regina began pulling out her usual magical arsenal as well as a few new items she added to it. Being out in the real world had been surprisingly beneficial to her inventory. Of course, she had run across some things that were downright comical and she could not believe people fell for it.

"We have two very strong things working in our favor. My plan is for us to fuse our magic to some wards with balancing spells and symbols written on them."

Emma arched an eyebrow. "You think symbols will be enough?"

"They're doing a good job with me right now. I will say, I haven't felt a real flare from my demonic powers at all."

Emma smiled and pulled Regina to her. Her hands wandered the tattoos she knew to be on Regina's back and biceps. Regina allowed Emma to have the moment, overjoyed to know these abilities would not take Regina from her because the tattoos were doing their jobs.

"So, this will work?" Emma asked in a low voice.

"This should stop the flow of magic into the Enchanted Forest and allow Storybrooke to regain and hold onto the magic it needs to survive."

"That sounds simple actually. They couldn't do that?"

Regina pulled away and went back to her bag of magical items. "Their magic might not be the right type or they're not powerful enough or they can't combine powers the way we can for a proper balance. There could be a number of different reasons. Plus, one of them could be behind it."

Emma nodded. "Yeah, that's true, but this still sounds really easy."

"It's also not as simple as it sounds. We have to balance our magic exactly right or it won't work." She hated to think what the well might do to them if they got it wrong.

"That's what you need to teach me?"

"Yes."

Emma nodded. "Okay, so there's that and what else?"

"Well, just… I'm not very certain of the second one assisting us much, even though I'm certain it's there."

Emma's brow furrowed and she looked like a confused kitten, just too adorable. Regina grabbed her and kissed her. Emma yelped in surprise, but then quickly kissed her back. There was the usual pleasure, but then there was the added bliss of their magic ebbing and flowing together. And then there was an appropriately rainbow blast from them. Emma pulled away.

Emma narrowed her gaze on Regina. "Wait, did you just True Love kiss me?" She seemed a little confused, a little suspicious, and very amused.

Regina laughed. "Of course I did."

A laugh escaped Emma as she scratched her head. "What the hell curse did we even just break?"

Regina shrugged. "Who cares? Let's get to work, so we can get out of here." Yes, she probably could survive in Storybrooke without turning into a full demon, but she had no desire to do so. She loved their little house in the suburbs.

Emma nodded mutely. She was in a bit of a daze and she would undoubtedly be insufferable once she regained herself. It was one thing to think they had true love, but having it confirmed was something else. Plus, to know they broke a curse. She could already hear the obnoxious remarks from Emma. She would find them adorable.

-8-8-8-8-

Next time: Regina and Emma run into a serious personal problem.


	17. Good Intentions

I don't own these characters.

17: Good Intentions

Emma and Regina returned to the diner a little over an hour after they left. Emma's head was pounding from magic practice and her hands burned over it. Somehow, her very veins itched. She was thankful she only needed to know this one thing. Anything more and they definitely would need to be in town for longer than a day and she would need tons of painkillers, sleep, and cuddles, in that order. _Fuck that, I'm getting me some cuddles after this shit_.

"I'm gonna get food before we go," Emma told Regina. Food might at least help her headache, for the moment anyway. It would definitely settle her. The last thing she needed to do was screw up what they were about to do.

"I still need to talk to Rumple and Blue to get a better idea of what lines of attacked they used, so go ahead," Regina replied, eyes scanning the diner for the pair.

The Blue Fairy was with their family. Tinker Bell was not there. Ruby did not look pleased, holding Lucia close. A slight frown tugged at Ruby's face. Emma forgot all about the itch in her veins, feeling her stomach roll.

Emma slid into the booth with Neal, Henry, Ruby, and Lucia. Just as she sat down, Blue walked away from the booth. Emma arched an eyebrow, but did not think anything of it. Regina followed her, staring holes in the back of the fairy's head. Emma watched and then turned to the table.

"Was I interrupting anything?" Emma asked, glancing over at her wife and the Blue Fairy.

"The Blue Fairy was trying to catch up with Henry. Neal was busy threatening her," Ruby replied. "She smelled a little nervous, scared. I'm not sure which. Fairies are weird to hold down. She chased Tink away with her presence."

"She needs to stay away from my kid. I don't like her asking Henry about anything. Maybe I can't hurt her, but I bet my sister can do a whole lot of ass-kicking," Neal commented.

Lucia gasped, recognizing the bad word there. Emma snickered before she remembered to scold Neal over the word. This was particularly bad since Emma generally was the person who swore in front of Lucia anyway.

"Don't be a hypocrite," Neal had the nerve to say.

"I can be if I want, especially considering where we are," Emma replied.

"Yeah, true." Neal scowled, glancing around. There a bunch of townies around, glaring at Regina from what they probably thought was a safe distance. "I really didn't like her talking to Henry, though. I definitely didn't like her being over here with Lucia. She glanced at her and I wanted to punch her in the mouth."

"Dad, you're not supposed to hit girls," Henry said. "But, it was a little weird, even if it was just a glance." His shoulders slumped and he moved in a little closer, as if to share a secret. "She's a little creepy to me now that I know what she did to Dad."

Ruby nodded and glanced over at the Blue Fairy. "Listening to his run-in with the Blue Fairy and hearing Tinker Bell talk about her, I'm actually happy she never tried to butt in on my life."

"How is the werewolf thing working out?" Emma inquired.

Ruby blew out a breath. "Granny locks me in the kitchen during my wolf's time. There's nothing I can do about it. I wish the stupid well would just take a little magic from me, so I don't have to worry about eating someone, but whenever I feel it tug at my wolf, it hurts."

Emma frowned. _Regina better be right about this_. She might not care about the town as a whole, but she damn sure cared about Ruby. Okay, and maybe she did care about the town, a little.

"It would be cool if you could leave town. You'd probably love New York," Henry said.

"And you'd be able to visit us," Emma added, which she would have enjoyed. She counted Ruby as a true friend. Maybe her best friend with the "death" of Mary Margaret.

"That would be nice, but even though I don't identify as Red anymore, I'd like to keep the parts of her still inside of me. She helps make me who I am, both Red and Ruby. And, I'm not about to make any deal with Rumple to leave town," Ruby replied.

Henry offered her a bright smile. "Of course. We're just wishing aloud."

Ruby chuckled and shot a smirk at Emma. "Did you wish on that bit of True Love you and the ex-mayor belted out when you went upstairs?"

Emma gasped, scandalized. _Same old Ruby_. "Ruby, tiny ears!" She motioned to Lucia, who did not have a clue what they were talking about.

"Can we worry about the not-so-tiny ears! Luce has no idea what's going on, but I do!" Henry covered his ears and then tilted his head. With a wrinkled brow, he dropped his hands. "But, what was that about? What curse did you guys just break? Maybe that fixed the well."

Emma shrugged. "I dunno. I guess we'll find out." She somehow doubted they were that lucky, especially since Regina did not bring it up. No, the well did not seem to be cursed.

"Can we go see the well? People keep describing it and it sounds cool," Henry said, looking around the diner. The people were mostly focused on Regina, watching her as if she might try something any second, like curse them to some fresh Hell. If only they knew, Regina had not even thought about them since leaving.

"I don't see why not, but we'll ask Mom. She knows more if it's dangerous than I do," Emma replied. The well had not seemed dangerous, unless the person near it had magic.

Henry nodded. With that out of the way, Emma went to the counter to order her food, not wanting to bother Ruby with an order right now. While waiting, she watched Regina with the Blue Fairy and Gold. Blue and Gold leaned in on Regina, looking like they were trying to intimidate her, stare her down, and bend her to their will.

Regina was a pro at handling them. Her body language said she was in charge. Emma was proud. Then, she noticed a flash of light from Regina's shirt sleeve. It was a pattern that ran very brief. Emma knew the pattern, the tattoo there. Regina's power flared up around Blue and Gold, but she kept herself in control. _I'm so proud of her_.

-8-8-8-8-

"So, is the little girl with Ruby your daughter?" Blue asked Regina.

Regina frowned and decided to stick to the issues at hand. She already did not like the fact that Blue had been next to Lucia. It pissed her off even more that Blue would dare to stand next to her brother after what Blue did to Neal, be it by accident or on purpose. She knew Blue had chased off Tinker Bell. She was a terror. Worse, she was a terror who pretended to be good.

"Can't believe someone would have a kid with your crazy ass," a faceless denizen lost in the crowd said.

"Anyway," Regina said, rolling her eyes. She kept her focus on Blue and Rumple. "I merely require a brief description of what you did to the well." She looked between the two.

They seemed reluctant to say anything to her, which she expected. It was beyond the fact that she was a threat to them. One of them did something to that well, she was certain. Snow and her shepherd pushing up to the conversation got them talking. Snow and David then faded back into the crowd, which continued with the offhanded insults. Regina could scarcely believe these people understood she was probably the only one who could help them. But, then again, they were always idiots.

"We have done everything possible," Blue insisted.

Regina shook her head. "No, you've done everything the other realm has told you is possible." This was one of her favorite things about being in the outside world. She had learned how much this realm offered in terms of everything. This world got more than just their lives as stories and books. There were many other things from who knew where and she had soaked it in.

Rumple sneered and looked down his nose at her. "You think you can do what we did not? We're practically gods."

Regina rolled her eyes. "You are both fae." She left the fact she was the one with a god's blood unsaid. They knew, after all. "Which one of you noticed the problems with the well first?"

Blue and Rumple glanced at each other. "A citizen pointed out a tree in his living room and eventually I went to the well," Blue replied.

Regina nodded. "Did you send fairies up there to look? Is that how they ended up getting destroyed?"

Blue tensed, but Rumple looked close to laughing. "Poor choice on her part, wasn't it? How poor fairies probably never knew what hit them."

Regina cocked an eyebrow. She should not feel disturbed by Rumple's amusement at the death of innocent fairies, but life did not seem so cheap to her anymore. "But, you did?"

"Or maybe she did." Rumple glanced over at Blue.

Blue scowled. "Is Emma up to this task? She hasn't practiced magic in at least three years."

"She hasn't practiced magic at all, but she is the most reliable person I know. Remember, you sent for us, going so far as to let Rumple walk out of this place to find me and Neal," Regina snapped.

"You think this…" Rumple flicked his wrist at Blue as his mouth drew back in a sneer. "This thing allows me to do anything? If it were not for me, we would have no solution. I'm the one who got Snow and David across the line."

"You're the one who put this all in motion in the first place. I'm almost ready to believe you sabotaged the well just to get Neal back here to trouble him," Regina said.

Something sparked in Rumple's eye, something dangerous and reptilian. She was certain he had done something to the well. This was all his doing, but something went wrong, as there was no way he would do something that could potentially kill him.

Rumple glanced over at Neal, who watched the exchange intently. Neal's scowl undoubtedly pulled one onto Rumple's face as well. _My seals have to be working. If not, I'd have killed Rumple right now for Neal alone_.

Regina just hoped she could muster enough power when time came to work on the well. Emma would not be a problem, but she might if the seals blocked out most of her magic. Hopefully, she would be able to feel out exactly what happened with the well as they fixed it. Well, time to see. The sooner they settled this, the sooner they could go home and she would not have to hear "whispers" about how evil she was, how she stole Savior, and how she was probably going to destroy them all.

"Well, whatever the matter, we will try this. It will probably work and we can all move on with our lives," Regina said, stepping away from them. She could hardly suffer their presence anymore. She could feel their eyes on her as she turned away from them. Well, better her than her family.

She barely got away before Tinker Bell snatched her into the bathroom. Regina watched as Tinker Bell physically locked the door and then magically sealed it. Then, Tinker Bell turned to her.

"What's up?" Regina asked.

"You shouldn't have come here. I'm pretty sure the Dark One did something to the well. I saw him out there," Tinker Bell replied.

"I thought it was him."

"Yeah, but I think he was trying to suck up the magic from the other realm and go find you and his son. He's dangerous and Blue won't stop him. She thinks you're worse than him. She thinks you're the worst thing."

Regina nodded. "I know she thinks that."

"Yeah, but she thinks that to the point where she wanted you to come back here."

Regina frowned. "She wanted me back?" Blue certainly had not made it seem that way.

"She did. She's the one who mentioned it to Snow and David. They just wanted to go get Emma. You have to be careful."

"Don't worry. I will be. Are you all right? Has she done anything to you?" Regina already refused to forgive Blue for her treatment of Tinker Bell, but she could add to her reasons why she hated Blue.

"No. As long as I stay out of town, she doesn't bother me. She refuses to return my wings, though. But, I've learned to live without."

Regina shook her head. "Ruby makes it seem like you're living here as you were in Neverland."

Tinker Bell shrugged. "It's better that way."

"Tink…" Regina just sighed. She did not know what to do, did not know how to help.

"Don't worry about it. It's not like I really helped you, anyway."

"But, you tried," Regina's voice was sharp whisper. "I've learned this counts for something. Hell, for then, it counts for everything."

Tinker Bell offered her a small smile. "I'm glad you found your happiness."

"You will have yours one day." Regina would do her best to make that happen. For now, she had a well to stop.

-8-8-8-8-

By the time the food was ready, Emma had to get it to go. Regina came up to her, magic bag on her shoulder, and ready to go defeat the chaotic neutral well. She almost said that to Regina, but then remembered Regina did not find tropes funny. _No one-liners, no tropes. What do I see in this woman?_ And then Regina smiled at her, reminding her of everything, as Regina took her hand.

"Henry wants to come and to be honest, I want to keep an eye on him if we can," Emma said.

"I'm sure most of the town will want to see this, so I don't see why he should be excluded," Regina replied.

Emma smiled. "I love how many words it takes you to say yes."

Regina just rolled her eyes while Emma grabbed her burger and fries. She waved Henry over and got Henry, Neal, Ruby, and Lucia since she was still with Ruby. Regina eyed the group for a moment and then just shrugged. She probably did not see the point in fighting since the whole town came as well, except for Tinker Bell anyway. According to random people shouting, they wanted to make sure Regina was not actually trying to curse them again.

Regina scoffed as they walked through the dense woods. "As if I'd waste time on these peons."

Emma chuckled a bit. She knew that was the truth. "So, what did Blue and Gold think of your plan?" she asked as they circled the well. She was tempted to eat her burger, but she was not sure if it would somehow mess up what they were doing. She would eat it when they finished up.

"They don't think it'll work. It sounds too simple for them. And, dear, please eat your food. You're less likely to make a mistake on an empty stomach," Regina replied, moving right next to the well.

Emma grinned, happy with the okay to dive in. She stepped away from the well, a couple of feet, not wanting to mess anything up. As she ate her hamburger, she looked out into the crowd. Henry was at the front, but Neal and Ruby drifted with Lucia. Lucia was chasing around a butterfly in a small patch of cleared grass. They seemed fine, despite all of the hatred being spat toward their mother. Emma smiled at her kids and shoved some fries in her mouth.

"This is cool," Henry muttered as he watched the magic flowing into the well. Emma glanced at it, seeing the swirls and ripples of blue, green, and purple that enchanted her son. She could feel the well nipping at her magic. It was like now that the well had a taste of her, it wanted more. But, it was not ripping at her like it seemed to do to other people.

"Hey, Savior, shouldn't you be over there, making sure that bitch isn't trying anything?" Leroy hissed, taking Emma's attention from her food and her kid. He dared to point at Regina.

"Hey! That's the mother of my kids you're talking about!" Emma growled. She had heard people whispering stuff like that, but of course Leroy would be the one to say it essentially to her face. "Say one more thing so I can spread you out all over this forest floor."

"Leroy! They're trying to save us, so how about you don't offend them?" Ruby huffed and then turned back to watch Lucia.

"I just don't see why we have to trust her. Hell, or even Emma. You did cut in run in the middle of your job," Leroy said.

"You did," Whale actually backed him up.

Emma snorted, glaring at them. "I'm not keeping any of you here. I don't owe you anything. How many of you bothered to help me? How many of you even know me? I'm not your little monkey and you don't tell me when to dance. Now, instead of being jerks, why don't you let my wife work, so we can get this over with? I mean, unless you do want to slowly die, after all."

"Just let the woman work," Gold announced, which sort of let Emma know how dire the situation was. "Regina, I hope this plan of yours does it."

"I'm sure it'll work better than your plan," Regina replied.

Gold sneered. "You better watch what you say."

"Hey, I told you about talking to her," Neal growled, pointing to his father.

Henry held him back. "Dad, not right now. Mom needs to concentrate."

Neal nodded and Emma could not help smiling at their rather mature son. She turned her attention back to Regina, who was focused on her work. She was not sure Regina even knew people were insulting them.

Regina pulled out the wards she had already prepared and had already infused with their magic. They stuck to the well like magnets as she placed them on the stone. There was a potion she had prepared, which she poured into the well. The rippling magic pouring into the well changed color, flashing gold and white. Regina waved her over, as it was time for her to be a real part of this thing.

"Give me your hand," Regina said softly, even though Emma already knew she had to do that.

Emma brushed her hands off on her pants. They joined hands and then put their free hands onto the well. Emma felt a little zap, but nothing to worry over. _Does this mean my magic is where it's supposed to be and doesn't belong to the Enchanted Forest?_ She did not know and did not care right now.

They both had to speak magic words. Emma concentrated very hard, knowing from brief experience if she got the words wrong, it would be painful for at least her, but possibly Regina as well. She did not even want to think of what might happen if she messed this up while they touched a volatile well full of magic. Regina had not wanted to answer her when she asked about it before. A hard jolt went through her and she gritted her teeth. Regina gave her hand a squeeze to keep her focused.

The ground rumbled under their feet and the air felt heavy. For a moment, it felt like a fire raged around them, just pure heat and humidity surrounding them. A column of blinding light shot up through the well, causing plenty of shocked gasps. Emma closed her eyes, but made sure not to let go of Regina. The beam of light exploded outward, knocking the crowd down.

Emma felt the force cut through her, thinking it might hurt in someway. It was the opposite, though. It was really like light passed through her, like a beautiful ghost force. It shook her a little, but she remained on her feet and kept her stance. She felt Regina wobble, but she held onto Regina tighter, making sure to keep her on her feet.

"Did that work?" Emma looked around, seeing people slowly sitting up. They brushed dirt off of them before they stood.

Regina examined the well, running a finger along the stone. She did not seem uncomfortable and Emma did not feel anything bothering her magic. There seemed to be a white mist flowing over the top of it now.

"I think only time will tell," Regina replied.

Emma shrugged. "How long?"

"I guess if someone reports something missing coming back will be enough and that could happen at any time," Regina replied. Turning, she stared into the forest, squinting, possibly trying to see if the woods receded some. She then glanced at Gold. "Hopefully, no one will try to steal the magic from the well again."

Emma looked at Gold, who scowled, but did not own up to anything. "But, it's good, right?"

"It should be. The air already seems to be settling," Regina answered.

Sounded good enough to Emma, even though everything still looked the same. She figured stopping magic tended to make things change immediately, but then again, the well had not changed everything immediately. If this was over, they could go home and they could live their lives. She turned to look into the crowd and easily spotted Henry, speaking to his grandparents. She looked for Neal and Ruby next. They were looking around and then she realized Lucia was not there.

"Luce? Luce?" Emma called and rushed over to them. Her heart was in her throat already and it pounded like it would break her windpipe.

"Lucia?" Regina gasped and followed right behind her. "Where's Lucia?" she demanded, in Neal's face. He looked a little pale, like he might throw up, but that did not make Regina stop looking at him as if he lost the whole world.

"She was just there!" Neal ran his hand through his hair as he looked around, bent over, close to the ground to make sure he did not miss the toddler.

"Well, she's not anymore!" Emma pointed out the obvious. "Luce! Luce!" Her body shook as her anxiety bound her tighter than any chain could. "Luce!"

Ruby sniffed the air. "I can't pick up her scent. What the hell just happened? Did the magic do something to her?"

"Do something to her?" Regina started pacing, eyes frantically moving about the forest. She looked back at the well and then around the well. She tossed and turned, as if trying to go in every direction at once.

"Babe, calm down!" Emma collected Regina in her arms and Regina fought her, banging on her chest with tight, small fists.

"No! Where's my baby?" Regina screamed, pushing against Emma. Emma could feel a dark pulse go through her. It actually hurt, like it sliced through her with saw blade, but also felt like something tainted had crawled inside of her. _I_ _s this how it feels for Regina to have demonic powers inside of her?_ Gritting her teeth, she held onto Regina, not wanting her to hurt herself.

"What's going on?" Henry asked as he ran over.

"Lucia's gone," Neal replied, panting a little as he looked around. He blew out a breath as he put his hands on his hips.

"Gone?" Henry's face scrunched up as he looked around where Lucia had just been chasing around butterflies. "What do you mean 'gone'? She can barely walk!" He turned to Ruby. "Can't you track her?"

"I don't have her scent. The magic blast knocked us all down. Maybe it did something to her," Ruby said. "But, Regina could use a locator spell to track her."

Regina gasped and finally stopped fighting. Next thing Emma knew, they were all engulfed by a dark cloud, black mixed with violet and gold. Then, they were in the bed and breakfast. Henry, Ruby, and Neal were with them.

-8-8-8-8-

"I need something of Lucia's!" Regina cried, moving away from Emma to get to their room. Lucia's baby bag was up there. Emma trailed behind her.

"Is this safe?" Emma asked. She was not sure if Regina should be using her magic and maybe she was right to be concerned.

"Who the hell cares if it's safe? Our baby girl is missing!" Regina could see the black mist rising from her body. She could feel the tattoos actually burn off of her body and her magic swirl as it was set free. She did not care. She would do anything to get their baby girl back.

"I know, but maybe you should let me do. You're not going to be any good to Luce is you go completely nuclear!"

Regina growled. That made too much sense. If she allowed this dark power in her to take over just to get Lucia back, what would happen when she did get Lucia back? Taking a deep breath, she reached for Emma. Emma pulled her close and gave her a soft kiss. The demon inside of her settled down just a little.

"Okay, do you remember how to do a locator spell?" Regina asked.

Emma shook her head. "Just show me and I'll do it. I'll get Luce back."

" _We'll_ get Lucia back." She would show Emma how to do the spell, follow the spell with Emma, and then destroy whoever dared to steal their child, just as she had done to Pan three years earlier.

"Right."

Regina took a breath and decided to be upfront with her wife. She did not want to do anything to surprise Emma later on and have Emma assume it was the demonic powers inside of her. "And just to be totally transparent, you do know I am going to kill whoever took her, right?"

"We'll see." Emma did not seem to believe her.

The last person Regina had killed was Peter Pan. Outside in the "real" world, she had yet to meet someone that she wanted to kill, even when her powers had still be scratching inside of her. She had not been in the pain that she had when she was a mass murderer. Life had been so content, so perfect, and then they had to come back to this damned place.

"Let me show you how to do this." Regina moved to grab something of Lucia's. There was her favorite plushie, a little rabbit from a Disney movie. She always made it a point to forget the character's name because when they watched the movie the character's voice reminded her too much of Snow. Lucia thought the rabbit was like "Eima" because she was a police officer, like Emma.

She handed the plush toy to Emma and gave her directions on casting the locator spell. It was not very difficult, but it still took Emma a couple of tries. Regina blamed Emma's nerves. Her hands shook as she stood there trying to cast the spell. Emma was just as worried as Regina. Emma did not even seem to notice when the spell worked, as she clutched the bunny like a lifeline.

"Okay, you can let it go," Regina whispered, hand on her wife's arm. She tenderly stroked Emma's arm, trying to ease her into releasing the toy.

"Hmm?" Emma's voice was so distant and it cracked on just this little noise.

Regina's stomach twisted. "Let go and it'll take us to our baby."

Emma listened and released the rabbit. It floated off and they ran to after it. Somehow, Ruby, Neal, and Henry knew they were on the move and joined them. Ruby probably smelled them move. Whatever the case may be, they were all on their way. Regina could guess where they were headed a couple of blocks into their journey. Oh, no, she was definitely going to kill at least one person if this led to where she believed it did.

"I'm going to kill her!" Neal snarled. It would seem he guessed where they were going as well and he had not even been in town long enough to know where everything was.

"We don't know she took her. It could just be one of them found her and now they're there, waiting for you to come pick her up," Ruby argued.

Regina did not believe it and from the way Neal continued scowling, he clearly did not believe it either. If he wanted this kill, he would have to learn how to resurrect someone, though. She would pull that bitch's heart out and take a bite out of it before she crushed it. Emma and Henry would not be able to stop her.

She could hear townspeople clambering behind them. She did not care how many people were there. If that floating rabbit went where she thought it was, she would destroy any person in her way to get Lucia back. _My light_.

"Emma, have you found the little girl yet?" David asked as he and Snow jogged up next to her, like they were going to help. Regina knew they would only be obstacles when she and Emma went to retrieve their baby.

"The 'little girl' is called Lucia. She's my daughter," Emma snarled. Their choice of words showed exactly what they thought of Lucia and Emma's relationship.

"We know," Snow replied softly with worried eyes. "Have you found her?"

"Does it freaking look like we found her? Why the hell did we even bother to come back here? Nothing good comes from this place! Everything is completely and totally fucked up around here!" Emma huffed.

Regina was not in agreement with that, but was in no mood to argue with Emma over it. It did not matter. Only Lucia mattered.

As expected, the rabbit glided between a black, steel gate, right into the convent. Oh, the Blue Fairy was dead. She was would die a painful, horrible gory death. Regina would wear her fucking blood before the day was over.

"Why would the Blue Fairy take Lucia? I thought she was supposed to be good," Henry said, running his hand through his hair as he looked at the convent. He already thought something was off with the Blue Fairy thanks to stories from his father, but he probably could not fathom her doing something like this.

"Again, maybe one of the fairies just found Lucia and they don't know she's yours, so they came here," Ruby said.

"Miss Lucas, nothing you can say right now will save the fairies from their fate," Regina stated calmly. The black smoke radiating off of her flared even more. It fluctuated in heavy waves as more of her tattoos burned away, flames flashing through her clothing.

"Regina, you need to be careful. You can't just accuse the fairies of stealing your child," Snow argued.

Regina reeled and pointed to herself. "I need to be careful? They've stolen my damn daughter!"

Snow held up her hands, as if she were trying to calm Regina down, except she was doing a piss poor job of it. "Again, you don't know that and you can't just accuse them of doing that."

"Why?" Regina snarled, smoke coming out of her nose. "We all know they do it all the time!" Goddamn fae. Kidnapping bastards, the lot of them. Her aura swirled and flickered like angry flames with golden embers floating off.

"They haven't been doing it in Storybrooke," Snow promised.

Regina glared at Snow and stepped closer to her. "Do you think I'm going to take your word for it? Do you even know if there are any missing children in Storybrooke? I can already imagine you and your foolish council of monarchs run the damned town like this was the Enchanted Forest again, so you let this winged bastards flutter around any way they pleased! Tell me people haven't been making deals with the Dark One, ignoring whatever the hell he does at the well! Tell me the dwarves aren't back in the mines like they were in the Enchanted Forest! Tell me you haven't hanged at least one witch in my absence!"

"We didn't hang a witch," Snow denied.

"No, but I will bet you burned her at the stake," Regina hissed, tilting her head just a little as she sneered at Snow. She knew too well how these people worked. They were probably living like in the Enchanted Forest just to spite her, too, even though she was not there, like this would somehow show her. _Idiots_.

"And we'll do the same to you, sister!" Grumpy declared, shoving his way to the forefront of this thing. Emma and Henry flinched, obviously not expecting confirmation.

"Please, try," Regina smirked, feeling fangs poke at her lip. She would love nothing more than to raze this town to ground for trying to defend the creatures who stole her precious child.

"Yeah, please." Emma cracked her knuckles. The determined look in her eyes made Regina love her all the more.

"We're not scared of the Evil Queen anymore and you're nothing but a disappointing Savior who couldn't even break the Curse right!" Grumpy had the nerve to say. There were cheers behind him and hands raised in agreement.

"I never volunteered to break your stupid curse in the first place, so do you think I care?" Emma countered. "I never wanted this stupid fairy tale white knight role anyway. If I can help people, I do, but you folks seem to think you're entitled to my help. Fuck you."

"Yes, very elegantly put, Emma. Now, for our daughter," Regina growled.

Regina marched up to the gate, very intent on yanking it down. Instead, her hand burned at the touch and then magic blew her back. Landing on her back, she grunted as she slammed into the ground. For a moment, she could not move, no matter how much she ordered her body to get up. It felt like every nerve ending in her body was fried.

"Regina!" Emma fell to her side, not touching her in case she was seriously injured.

"Mom!" Henry was with her. He did touch her, not recalling rules about moving injured persons.

"Regina!" And, of course, Neal was there, too, pulling Henry away just enough for him to stop touching her. That was the safe idea because beyond risking hurting her, Henry risked hurting himself, not knowing what type of fae magic was at play.

Regina growled and pushed herself up enough to sit, feeling like she ripped all of the muscles in her torso to do so. She tasted blood in her mouth and wiped her nose to find blood oozing from her nostrils. There was a dull ringing in her ears, but she was almost certain she could hear laughing from the moronic mob.

"You okay?" Emma asked, hand on the small of her back. Subconsciously, Emma seeped magic into her, instinctively trying to heal her.

Regina glared at the convent and it felt like her eyes burned. "Give me back my daughter!"

"What the hell was that?" Emma asked, inspecting Regina.

Regina looked down at her hand to see a burning red blister across her palm. "There's a powerful spell to ward off dark magic."

Emma cut her eyes to her parents and narrowed her gaze. "Was this all some sort of sick trap? Gold fucks with the well and you come to us? You played like you needed our help and then you kidnapped our daughter? Like some crazy fucking punishment?"

Snow blinked, not expecting the attack apparently. Regina could not see Snow being behind something like this. Yes, she was overbearing and a selfish ass, but she was not the type to take a child, even if she thought she was rescuing the child from Regina. But, that did not mean this was not a trap. After all, who knew who else was in charge of Storybrooke or who was on their stupid council. King George might have had something to do with this, or even…

Regina shot up, almost falling over. Henry caught her. She scanned the crowd, looking for the Dark One. "Rumple, I swear to all that is holy, if this is your doing!" She flexed her hand and her aura flared. Henry winced, but he did not let her go. "I know you messed with the well. Did you actually team up with the goddamn Blue Fairy for my child? What is the deal? What was your deal?" she screamed, certain he could hear her, even if she could not see him.

Neal looked around as well. "Papa, I swear if you're behind this, I will end you myself!" he screamed into the crowd.

"Okay, you all need to just calm down," David said.

Neal actually grabbed him by the collar. "You don't tell us to calm down! Your goddamn fairies have stolen my niece. Why the fuck don't you care more? That's your grandchild in there!"

That was just the issue, though. Snow and David did not view Lucia as their relation because Regina was the one who had her. It did not matter that Emma loved Lucia as her daughter. Blood was legacy to them.

"Why would the fairies take Lucia, though?" Henry asked yet again.

"It's quite simple, Henry. They want to make her a changeling," Regina answered. It was one thing to replace fairies, but this was probably beyond that. Blue could sense magic in Lucia, magic much like what Regina worked to suppress until this moment. Or Blue could just be guessing because Regina had not sensed dark magic in Lucia. Either way, Blue was doing for Lucia what she had not been able to do for Regina.

"A changeling?" Henry echoed with his eyebrows curled upward.

"What the hell is that?" Emma inquired, standing by Regina.

"They're going to hold Lucia, grow her up, twist her with magic, and then turn her into a fairy, as that's one of the ways fairies are made," Henry replied.

"You don't know that!" Snow objected.

Emma scowled. "Have you lost many fairies these past few years?"

"Only a few with the well and when a coven of witches decided to rise up," Snow replied.

"Decided to rise up or decided they had enough of your shit?" Regina turned her attention back to that gate. She would tunnel down if she could not go through. Nothing would keep her from her child.

Emma stepped forward. "Don't worry, Regina. I got this. No one is turning my daughter into anything, especially just to use her as a fucking soldier." She aimed her palm at the gate and made a fist as her hand glowed with a white light. The gate buckled like a crumbled cup. It would seem they had not bet on Emma being just as pissed as Regina.

Emma held out her hand for Regina as the white glow around her hand spread around her body. Regina took her hand as her own dark aura flared. They stepped forward and Regina could feel their power growing together, their aura expanding together. Storybrooke was going to be out a lot of fairies in a few minutes.

-8-8-8-8-

Next time: Emma and Regina go to get their daughter and put an end to this.


	18. Deepest Pits

I don't own these characters.

18: Deepest Pits

Entering the convent grounds, Emma thought this would not end well for the fairies. Regina was covered in a black cloud and the cloud actually formed the shape of large bat wings coming from Regina's shoulders. Regina's eyes glowed a bright red with the light pouring out of her eyes and she had actual fangs, top and bottom. Emma could tell in a few seconds the aura would form horns for Regina as well, so she would look like some hot version of Satan in a skirt.

The air was suddenly hot, smelling of ozone. Emma was not sure what this might mean since Regina used to make the temperature drop when her demon came out to play. It was like there was a storm on the way, except the storm was already there. Regina might possibly rain fire and brimstone on the fairies if she could.

Emma could feel Regina's fury rolling into her. She did not need more anger. She was definitely pissed enough, but Regina's power pushed into her and fueled her fury. She expected it to hurt, like before, but her magic pushed back. It left Emma feeling even, empowered, but also unstoppable. Regina's magic with her own gave her an invincible sensation and she would use it to get their daughter back.

"Stop, your majesty!" Two fairies ordered as they rushed out of the building, meeting them out in the paved open area. It was a bit funny to see them still dressed as nuns. Nuns who kidnapped a baby. Their baby.

Regina glared at them with the red lights in her eyes actually flowing out more than before. It was like something out of one of Henry's comic books. "If you tell us where our daughter is, no one needs to get hurt." She held up her hand, the onyx jumping like fire with violet raining through it. "If not, then I will very much enjoy the taste of your screams and blood."

Emma did not bother to reprimand Regina over that. If the fairies attacked, what happened next was on them. She doubted Regina would lose sleep over killing them and Emma was not sure she would mind either. These bitches stole Lucia, after all, and apparently planned to keep her.

The fairies actually smirked, like they had this. "You think we haven't prepared for you, your majesty? We've had three years to be ready for your attack."

"My attack? You steal my child and claim I attacked you?" Regina snarled.

"Enough of this bullshit. Give us back our daughter or I watch Regina rip you apart," Emma said. "Before I join in." Out of the corner of her eye, she could see Regina smile at her. That was definitely the face of a demon, a very pissed off demon mother.

The fairies glanced at Emma, but kept their attention on Regina. "We don't have any quarrel with you, Savior."

"Really? You kidnapped my daughter. That's a big time quarrel in my neighborhood," Emma said. Did these idiots really think she would just let them keep Lucia? What the hell was wrong with these people?

The fairies exchanged a look, almost like they were confused. "She is not your blood."

"Blood isn't everything, idiots! Now, give her back or I'm gonna punch you in the fucking face!" And that would be if they were lucky.

"Enough!" Regina threw her hand out.

An invisible force hit the fairies and they put up their arms to guard against it. They were pushed back a few feet, shoes skidding across the paved yard, but they regained their footing. They pointed their wands, which glowed bright, at Regina. They quickly drew symbols in the air and then shoved their wands through the symbols. Regina snarled as a white light blew her back with more force than the magic from the gate. She landed hard on the ground with her body smoking.

"Leave her alone!" Emma waved her hand and the fairies flew across the yard. She had not meant to do that, but she truly did not care. "Regina, you okay?"

"Fine." Regina yanked herself up, looking no worse for wear. "Let's press on."

Emma nodded. The two fairies got up and tried to come at them again. They aimed their wands at Emma, but she was faster. She blasted them back even further than before. They made it to the door of the building before more fairies showed up, aiming their wands. Regina growled, stopping dead in her tracks. Blood gushed from Regina's nose.

There was some sort of spell on the building, fighting against Regina. She coughed and blood flew from her mouth as well. Regina snarled more, snapping like a fierce beast. This obviously would not stop her, but she might die trying.

"Regina, I got an idea." Emma pressed herself against Regina's back to keep her from falling over.

"Savior, we don't have any problem with you. You can leave," one of the fairies warned her.

"I won't hold you up. If whatever you have in mind doesn't work, go on and I'll deal with these blasted fae. What's your idea?" Regina said through gritted teeth.

"They've prepared for your dark magic, for demon magic, but have you noticed your magic likes to mix with my magic, even when you're all dark like this?" Emma asked.

Regina nodded and grabbed Emma's hand. Emma felt her magic flow into Regina and the black aura around Regina dimmed. Emma just pushed more, reaching deep down for the depths of Regina's magic.

"What do you think you're doing?" one of the fairies asked and she aimed her wand at them.

Whatever the fairy thought she was doing, it bounced off of them. Emma laughed while Regina smirked, wiping the blood from her face. They were in for it now.

"I tell you what, you tell us where Lucia is right now and I won't make you regret being alive," Regina said.

The fairies answer was to fire at Regina again. Their blows did not seem to touch Regina, who took a deep, steadying breath. The place suddenly felt freezing, like before when Regina's powers flared years ago. Slice marks appeared across the fairies torsos, going through their habits, straight to the white meat, and then blood gushed from their wounds. Regina wielded their mixed magic as if it had always been hers, with more ease and precision than she even used her demonic power.

Emma did not have time to be impressed, though. Some asshole citizens of Storybrooke decided to open fire when it was clear they were going to hurt the fairies in the convent and it seemed like the fairies might not have this the way they thought they would. Projectiles whistled and ripped through the air.

"Are those bastards shooting at us with our son in that fucking crowd?" Emma said, putting up a shield around them. Bullets pinged against the shield. She pulled Regina close and pressed them up against the wall, moving inside the convent.

"Can you see Henry? Is he safe? Is Neal okay?" Regina asked, turning to see the crowd as the door hung open.

Emma could not see anything in the crowd and had to double down on the shield to avoid getting shot by both bullets and arrows. Rocks even came into play. She could really learn to hate Storybrooke.

"Hold that shield," Regina said, moving toward a window. She threw her hand out to stop a fairy coming out of nowhere. The fairy crashed into a back wall.

"What are you doing?"

"I can use the window's reflective surface like my magic mirror to see if I can find Henry. If he's in trouble, you go after him and I'll get Lucia."

"I'll get Lucia." Emma knew Regina would slaughter the Blue Fairy when she got to her and while it might not bother them, Henry would be less forgiving of his mother committing murder and his other mother condoning it. Well, maybe not, as Henry did not seem very broken up about Pan. After all, was it really murder?

Regina just sucked her teeth, but did not argue. This was not the time to argue. Emma held off the shots and Regina stared into the window.

"Ruby pulled Henry and Neal away from that madness. If it means anything to you, your parents are actually trying to stop these fools from shooting at us," Regina informed her.

"I honestly don't give a fuck. Let's go get this baby and slap this bitch," Emma said. Personally, she would love to choke the life out of the Blue Fairy if she was behind this. Nothing felt worse than losing a child and she had it happen twice. At least the first time, the dude was a bastard without lying about it. But, the Blue Fairy would pretend this was for the greater good somehow and stupid Storybrooke would probably back her up.

Regina nodded and they moved deeper into the convent. The sound of guns being fired eventually faded as they moved. Something about the place was not right. It was too dark… too big. There was something crooked about it, twisted, like haunted dungeon, and boiling hot, even with Regina's powers pushing out all heat.

They came to a hallway that reminded her of something from an old Dracula movie. There were torches on the walls, shadows dancing in the flickering light, but almost as if they were alive. Emma could not have been surprised if the darkness ripped them apart or crushed them. Regina scowled and put her hand on the stone wall. Purple sparks shot off of her fingertips and she winced a little.

"Something's wrong here, isn't it?" Emma asked, tense, waiting for something, anything. _Come on, you fucking, fucked up fairies_. _What do you got?_

"Those damned fairies created a labyrinth. They're going to try to hide Lucia from us until they can get her properly prepared for this change," Regina replied.

"A labyrinth? So, do you think they put magic creatures in this thing?" Emma did not want to meet a minotaur, but she would definitely go through one if necessary.

"It's possible."

Emma frowned. "Why? What the hell are they trying to pull here?"

"They're going to need to prepare Lucia for when they turn her into one of them. They'll need pixie dust and other items as well as a whole ceremony just to start the changeling process. They might need to do it here, which works for us. Can you sense where your locator spell went?" Regina squinted in the darkness as if trying to find the glowing rabbit.

Emma took a breath, watching it hang in the air, and tried to figure out where Lucia's toy went. Regina grabbed her by the hand and then she could feel Regina's magic flow through her. Her magic gave Emma a little nudge and Emma gasped.

"We need to keep going down this way," Emma said, pointing down the dark hall. "I hope this ends better than every horror movie I've ever seen."

Regina chuckled. "Oh, it won't, but for them. You have to remember, they think I'm the monster in this."

"This is true. Well, time to scare the shit out of them, then."

They charged forward, only for Regina to be paused every few feet by symbols drawn on the wall. Each one seemed like a punch to the gut, pushing Regina over a little. With a growl, Regina erased it with the palm of her hand and forced herself to stand up. She did not complain once.

They marched on with Regina doing the same with any other symbols they came across. While they moved, it felt like the walls were alive, pulsing, breathing. Heat poured from the walls, making the air move. It did not stop them in any way, even as it got darker and hotter as they continued. And then more fairies showed up.

"Insects!" Regina hissed, throwing her arm out. She blasted one back.

Emma followed right behind, throwing a glowing ball of magic. Another fairy dropped, her body sizzling, the noise echoing through the narrow passageway. Emma was not sure if the fairy was dead, not familiar with magic and especially not this mixed magic, but she really did not care. She just wanted her daughter back.

"Stop!" a fairy ordered, throwing her hand out.

A scratch cut through Regina's face and Regina made a fist. The shadows seemed to devour the fairy. Emma did not even bother to ask. She ignored the screams of the fairy as she vanished into the floor.

"Wretches!" More fairies cried, going on the attack.

They downed four more fairies and pressed on with Emma leading the way. Whenever a fairy showed up, Regina dropped them before Emma even realized one was there. When there were more than one, Emma was on it a second later, making sure no one touched Regina. They continued down this winding maze until there was no light at all. The sun probably was not as hot as this place was. How could this be a good for a toddler?

"They wouldn't hurt Luce, right?" Emma asked, sticking close to Regina to avoid losing her.

"They will want her intact and whole for the change. Do they think this will stop us? Mere warmth and darkness? I've bathed in darkness, drank it, and been fed on by it." Regina turned her hand into a torch, holding a fireball up for them to proceed.

"When we get to the end of this thing, I'm stomping holes in the Blue Fairy's fucking chest," Emma growled, wiping sweat from her forehead. Sweat drops fell from her hair. She cooled herself enough to keep moving with her magic, but wanted to save her strength for the Blue Fairy.

"You'll have to find her chest for that to happen."

Emma paused briefly. The twisting hall forked and there were two passages, but they both felt the same. Emma snarled and punched the wall hard enough to break her hand, which she then had to heal.

"They're cloaking the locator spell," Emma said.

"All right. Screw this." Regina cracked her knuckles and began muttering in a language Emma did not know. Regina's eyes glowed light blue briefly and her mouth set in a line.

Emma was not sure what was about to happen and Regina gave her no warning. Shadows swallowed them into the floor and the next thing Emma knew they were in what looked like Frankenstein's lab, but she doubted Whale was working with the fairies. Before she could get her bearings together, more fairies attacked. She had to swallow down the urge to vomit, but could not react quick enough to do anything to the fairies.

Regina worked swiftly and it seemed like the shadows on the wall grew jaws and devoured the fairies. There were screams and crunching sounds that bounced off of the walls, but Emma did not care about that. Emma scanned the room, wanting to find their child. She honed in on Lucia at the end of the room, in a freaking cage.

Emma charged over to the table with the cage. "My daughter is not a pet to experiment on!"

Before she could get to Lucia, the Blue Fairy appeared and forced Emma back. Emma crashed into a rack with test tubes and collapsed to the floor with all of the glassware and metal. Emma jumped to her feet immediately, even though her head spun. Blood and sweat now dripped from her head, clouding her vision somewhat.

"Stay out of this, Savior. I don't want to hurt you," Blue warned, glaring at her.

"Then give me back my daughter and this can be the end of it," Emma pointed out with a heavy breath.

"Don't you understand this is the only way to save her?" Blue replied.

"Oh, you mean like you tried to save me?" Regina snarled.

"I did try to save you, Regina. Your mother didn't want to give you up, just like you don't want to give Lucia up, but you know better than all of us that this is her best chance," Blue said.

Emma felt a shot go through her as Blue had the nerve to use her words against Regina. "Kidnapping is never someone's best chance! You can't forcefully take a kid from her parents and pretend to have the higher moral ground!" This seemed like some Enchanted Forest bullshit, though. She was so happy to not live there.

"I do have the higher moral ground. Regina is a demon and any child she bears will be the same," Blue declared.

Regina cocked an eyebrow. "Does this higher ground allow you to look down and watch as the Dark One meddles with the magic well? Did you even think to stop him?"

"Some things have to be overlooked for the greater good," Blue replied, sounding way too nonchalant over things, like it was fine to let Gold do whatever the hell he wanted.

Emma narrowed her gaze. "You knew what he was up to and you just let him work. Why? Was he messing with that magic to go kill Regina or something?" He had to be doing something Blue approved of for her to just let him go. "Did my parents know you were just letting Gold do whatever the fuck he wanted?"

"Your parents have nothing to do with this, just like you," Blue replied.

"I have everything to do with this! Regina's my wife and Luce is my kid," Emma stated.

"I tell you what, Blue," Regina said. "You step away from our daughter and I'll just turn you inside out." Her voice was calm, as if this was a good deal for the lead fairy. It was probably better than whatever twisted, homicidal thoughts danced through Regina's mind.

"You think you can take me? I've prepared for this," Blue boasted.

"Did you prepare for this in the same way those other fairies did or were they just cannon fodder? Were they there to buy you time? You needed to cast some sort of spell on the cage you've set our daughter in? Was that your deal with the Dark One? Look the other way while he played with the well in exchange for some thing that might be able to take down this dark demon?" Regina advanced a step. Her eyes scanned the room. She sought a way to take out the Blue Fairy without harming Lucia.

Blue scowled. "I tried to help you, Regina."

"Is that why you told Tink to stay away from me? That I had darkness inside of me? You wrote me off as soon as you couldn't steal me from Mother and turn me into one of you. Now, if you couldn't take me from Mother, what makes you think you'll take Lucia from both of us?" Regina asked.

Emma felt like Regina made a very good point. Maybe Cora loved Regina in her own crazy, possessive way, but Regina knew her mother saw her as a tool to move upward in society. Lucia was the light of their lives. They loved her with all of their hearts. There was no way they would leave this place without Lucia.

"Regina, don't come any closer," Blue ordered, pointing her wand at Regina.

"You do realize whatever the hell you prepared for me, you didn't prepare for Emma. So, while you're busy trying to put me down — and I promise you that you won't — Emma will get our daughter and I will punish you," Regina announced.

Emma got the very unsubtle hint. Regina was the distraction and she was to retrieve their daughter. Seemed simple enough. Of course, Emma was used to being the distraction. _Well, now, is not the time to start fucking up_.

"Regina, you should just let me put you out of your misery. Surely all of that dark energy is tearing you apart, consuming every little piece of you, leaving you nothing more than a beast to your basest instincts," Blue said.

Rolling her eyes, Regina scoffed. "You don't know a damn thing about anything, Blue. How can you live so long and not know so much? You want to have it out, then let's have it out. Come get me." She made a show of cracking her knuckles and her aura flared in a high column, blowing her hair and shirt up a little.

"I'm not afraid of you," Blue declared.

"Yet, you haven't moved," Regina pointed out with a smirk.

Blue watched Regina. Maybe it was fear or maybe she understood as soon as she started on Regina, Emma would grab the baby. Emma looked around the room, trying to figure out how she might make it to Lucia without the Blue Fairy destroying her along the way.

"Fine. Let's do this the Evil Queen way. Or the Demonic Evil Queen way. That's how you want to see this, right? So, it's all right for you to ignore whatever the Dark One does and still manage to call yourself good, right? So, you can walk out of this the good guy and have the praises of those plebeians, right?" Regina taunted her.

"I am the good guy. I am the best chance for that little girl, Regina. We both know you're unhinged and demented. You couldn't raise a well-adjusted child if you tried," Blue hissed.

"Right? But, you could and by 'raise' you mean transform into a fucking fairy that you control and can send to her death whenever it strikes your fancy. We would never allow that to happen to our daughter," Regina replied.

"You won't be able to stop her when those demonic powers start coming out, just like yours."

Regina scoffed. "I didn't have to worry about that until Neverland and even that was because I've already had magic training. Emma's powers didn't manifest themselves in Neverland. Not to mention, we're living in a land without magic." Plus, her seals had worked right up until someone had the bright idea to kidnap Lucia.

Blue scoffed. "We both know this land has enough magic in it to cause problems."

This was true. Emma's powers came out when she was emotional. Regina was basically an energy vampire thanks to her powers. Lucia might have something to worry about. That did not justify kidnapping their daughter.

"We _both_ know?" Regina snarled. "How long have we _both_ known this? You sent my brother here, telling him Rumple wouldn't have any magic here. What the hell were you playing at here? Why do you continue to hurt people?"

Better still, why did people still think Blue was a good guy? Emma did not have an answer to that, beyond the fact that winners wrote history. She was tired of the Blue Fairy. She was tired of these people. She just wanted to get their kids and put Storybrooke in the rear view mirror for the rest of their lives. She glanced at Regina, ready whenever she was. Regina gave her a nod.

Emma braced herself while Regina threw out her hand at the Blue Fairy, who put up her hands in defense. Emma disappeared and reappeared by their daughter. Lucia was unconscious, but breathing. There was some weird, green fog around her. Blue recovered from blocking Regina's blast and she turned to Emma.

"Savior, don't make me hurt you," Blue growled.

"Don't worry. I won't let you!" Regina threw both hands out and shadows flew from her arms like tentacles. Heads formed on the ends, complete with burning crimson eyes and fangs. They roared and the building shook.

The Blue Fairy put her hands up, fighting off the shadow-beasts under Regina's control. The shadows clashed against an invisible shield, disappearing in thick smoke briefly before smashing at the shield again. Emma felt Regina using her demonic powers rather than their mixed magic against Blue, but then she realized this was all part of the distraction. Time to get to work.

Emma went with the most obvious thing first and was not surprised she paid for it. Grabbing the bars of Lucia's cage, her hands felt like acid was poured on them and she screamed as she pulled them back. Growling as she stared at her hands, she was not surprised by the red blisters that puffed up on her palms.

"Emma?" Regina called.

"I'm fine," Emma said. Lucia was still trapped, though.

"Stay away from there, Savior!" Blue waved her hand and Emma expected to be blown back, but Regina reached out and negated whatever spell Blue was trying. A sneer tugged at Blue's upper lip as she turned her attention back to Regina. "You think you can beat me after not practicing magic for three years?"

"I don't need to beat you," Regina replied.

This was true enough as well. Regina just needed to keep Blue's attention, which she did. Regina unleashed another blast of her demonic powers. Shadow-beasts, barking and snarling, tried to tear at the Blue Fairy.

Emma looked down at her hands and then back the cage. The cage was probably designed to stop Regina, so it was designed with her magic in mind. Therefore, Emma figured using her own magic instead of their mix, she might be able to get Lucia out of the cage.

Emma looked down at her hands and let out a breath as she did her best to separate her magic from Regina's. It was hard and sweat dripped down her face, having nothing to do with the boiling heat of the room. _Why the hell didn't I get magic training before this shit?_ Gritting her teeth, Emma felt like she pushed her own organs into her feet as she managed to split her magic from Regina's. She would worry about the pain later, once she had their daughter in her arms.

Emma grabbed the bars again, closing her eyes as she did so. She was not shocked or burned. Holding on tightly, she concentrated on cutting through the bars before she felt a sharp pain in her side.

"What the hell?" Emma looked down, seeing Blue had actually stabbed her with her wand. It was like being run through with thick tree branch and infected with venom she could feel tear through her veins.

"Emma, do you have her?" Regina demanded.

Emma growled and ignored the intense pain, finally touching their child. "Yeah, I got her."

"Good," Regina practically purred. Well, Blue was fucked.

In an instant, the black aura around Regina was gone, sucked inside of her as she inhaled. Then, she swept her arm out and there was that familiar purple smoke. Blue put her hands up, ready for anything… except what hit her anyway.

Emma grabbed Lucia and managed to use her magic to get Lucia through the bars. She backed away just in time to see Regina's attack on Blue. The purple spell swirled around Blue, who waved her blood covered wand, trying to counter the magic. Regina snarled and made a fist. Blue locked in place and screamed at the top of her lungs.

"How does that feel, dear? Is it like I'm pulling you inside out? I should hope it hurts a lot," Regina said and she made a flickering hand movement. Blue just screamed even more. "You feel that? That's my dark magic mixed with the power of True Love… and Emma's magic."

Emma blinked, trying to keep her vision from blurring. Wait, so Regina used both their magic and somehow tamed True Love enough to use that power against Blue. Oh, yeah, that fairy was fucked. Regina made her fist even tighter and Blue fell to her knees, still hollering at the top of her lungs. Her wand clattered to the ground as her blood painted the floor.

"Or does it feel like you're on fire inside?" Regina pressed. "Or maybe it's more like ice taking over every, single cell in your body. Please, tell the class. I'm so interested."

Emma wobbled a bit. "Regina…" she slurred, blinking hard several times. "I think I need…" She did not need to finish that. Regina was by her side immediately, holding her up.

"I have you both," Regina whispered. "Let's go."

"What about…?" Emma nodded toward Blue, who was curled up on the floor, crying, drooling, and bleeding. Emma could not find it in her to care, especially as she bled out on the lab floor.

"I would much rather save you than finish her," Regina said, even though she left Blue with one last spell before they all vanished.

-8-8-8-8-

Regina had never been so happy to pack up a minivan before in her life. Henry seemed to be of like mind as he shoved all of their things in the trunk as quickly as he could. He had not even asked questions, just took one look at Emma and packed everything while Regina made sure Emma was comfortable spread across the back seat with a thin blanket over her. Emma was healed, but still quite pale and sweaty from blood loss.

The wound inflected by the Blue Fairy had been horrible, festering by the time Regina got Emma onto their bed in the bed and breakfast. It was so terrible not just because of Blue's magic or a spell, but because it was caused by a magical object in general. The wound would need time to heal on its own, in a world with limited magic, where the damned fae's power could not afflict Emma. Right after she healed Emma as best she could, Regina had called Neal and told him to meet them at the van, which was where she found him and Henry packing.

Lucia was strapped into her car seat for the moment. Regina had inspected her after healing Emma. She knew the baby had taken in some pixie dust, but she was not sure how much or what effect it might have on Lucia. With luck, it would not do anything to her once they got out of Storybrooke. For now, Lucia was strapped in and cuddled up with her bunny plushie.

"Can we talk to Emma?" Snow requested as she and David made their way to the minivan. Thankfully, it was just them. Somehow, they managed to ditch the rest of the stupid town or wisely had not tried to bring them along.

"Shouldn't you have asked yourselves that question three years ago?" Regina countered with a curl of her lip. It would forever be beyond her how they could go three years without having a real conversation with their daughter. She could barely go three seconds without trying to engage one of her kids.

"S'okay," Emma muttered, licking her cracked, dry lips. A near death experience probably changed her stance on ignoring her parents as she was reminded life was short.

"Fine." Regina moved to sit in the individual seat next to Lucia's seat. Henry would ride shotgun and Neal would drive.

Snow and David moved, so they were pretty much in the van, crouching down to avoid hitting their heads. Regina watched them and Emma, who stared at them with partially closed eyes.

"Emma, we're sorry things came to this. We didn't call you here for… your daughter… to be stolen," Snow said. Maybe this had given them a taste of how fleeting life was as well.

"We truly did need your help. We didn't know Gold messed with the well, but he definitely couldn't fix and we'd have all died without you and Regina. You both came through for this whole town, again," David said.

"And we had no idea the Blue Fairy would take your daughter," Snow added. "We'd never condone something like that."

David nodded. "We know all too well how horrible it is to not have your daughter with you."

"And, we know after this, we probably won't see you again," Snow sniffled. "We'll call, though. We'll call." She nodded, as if needing to assure herself.

"Won't be back," Emma assured them and she had to take a deep breath. "But… you could visit."

Both Snow and David gasped. Okay, so the trip was not a total waste, despite how horrible it was. Emma had a new appreciation for her parents somehow. Hopefully, they had a better understanding of her, too.

"Life is short," Emma mumbled.

"Yes, it is and family is so important. I've always known family comes in many different shapes and sizes, but I've been burned," Snow replied, putting a hand on Emma's knee for a moment.

"Really, Snow?" Regina said.

"Yes, really. You were my family and you hurt me. Can you at least acknowledge that?" Snow pointed out.

Regina sighed. "Well, your family hurt me."

"Mom! It's not a contest," Henry pointed out. "Dad's family hurt you, too, but you don't mind him being around."

"I wouldn't mind Snow being around either," Regina replied honestly with a shrug. She glanced at the shepherd. "Or those who have to be with her." Emma deserved parents and they needed to work their way to deserving her.

Snow smiled a little at Emma. "I would like that. I'm not sure how we can visit. The only way we were able to leave before was because of Gold and his magic. We can't pay him a price every time we want to see you. You know he'll own our souls by then."

"Not that we're going to let him roam around anymore to be some place where anyone can make a deal with him," David said.

Regina smirked. "I think maybe you should try the town line again before going to Gold."

Emma glanced at her. "What did you do?"

Regina waved the question off. "I didn't do it alone."

Snow and David expectedly looked confused. Regina did not expect them to keep up. They did not overstay this goodbye, promising to visit when they could and they would bring Leo, so Emma could get to know her brother. Everyone else who actually appreciated their help had already said their farewells while they had started packing. They were on the way after a few minutes.

"Mom, what happened with the town line?" Henry asked.

"Wait and see," Regina replied.

The wait was not long. They passed over the town line and Henry looked in the rearview mirror. He gasped.

"I can see still the town," Henry said and then he turned to look at his mothers. "You guys broke the Curse with your True Love kiss."

Regina shook her head. "We finished what you started. Apparently, True Love's kiss is more effective when both parties are conscious for curses affecting whole towns."

"Wow. All in a day's work for the Savior, huh?" Henry teased, throwing Emma a lopsided grin.

"Can we get back home? I'd rather just be a deputy and a mom. All of this extra stuff is annoying as hell," Emma said, her voice low.

"Homeward bound," Neal announced.

Emma groaned. "Really? Really?"

Neal just laughed. Regina smiled and shook her head. Neal certainly was a big brother through and through, complete with annoying jokes. Henry would probably be just like him with Lucia. She hoped that was the case, actually. Reaching back, she took Emma's hand and kissed her knuckles. Emma smiled at her. Lucia caught everyone's attention as she smiled and cooed. If she could smile after all of this, then everything should be fine.

-8-8-8-8-

Next time: a short epilogue.


	19. Heaven

I don't own these characters.

19: Heaven

The entire Swan-Mills family had never been so happy to come home. It felt like burdens had been lifted as soon as they entered the house. They had pizza for dinner and just hung out on the couch. Lucia did not remember much of what happened, but refused to be away from either of her mothers. Henry stuck close to Emma, wanting to make sure she was okay and also wanting to make sure she took it easy, but he did not really talk about anything. Regina could not help looking at Neal with sorrowful eyes.

"You want to tell me what happened?" Neal asked as the kids nodded off. Henry never could stay up late, even as he got older. He was a morning person through and through.

"The Blue Fairy… I just keep thinking about how she was using you to rid our realm of the Dark One and it just upsets me more and more. You were nothing but a pawn to her," Regina said. Blue definitely was "the ends justify the means" type of person. It explained why she was so interested in Snow, who also seemed to think that just because she was doing it that made it right.

Neal yawned and stretched. "I suspected that after a while, but always dismissed because she's the Blue Fairy, you know? But, apparently, that just means she's a bitch."

"Amen to that," Emma muttered.

Regina glanced at Emma, who was cuddled up to her right side with Lucia lying across both of them. The color had not returned to her face just yet, but she stopped sweating by the time they had gotten to the airport in Massachusetts. She had been refusing painkillers, insisting she felt better. Regina would not force her to take any.

"Uh… what did you do to her anyway?" Emma asked, eyes drifting to Regina. She was clearly tired, but fighting sleep for the moment.

"Do to who?" Neal asked.

"The Blue Fairy. Before she rushed us outta there, Regina, you did something to her. I know it," Emma said.

Regina shrugged. "I bound her magic as best I could. She might be able to cast small spells, but nothing grand ever again and every time she tries, she'll feel my touch of darkness in her. The pain… well, let's just say I will taste her screams." A wicked smile curled onto her face.

Neal's and Emma's faces scrunched up. "You bound her magic? How? You haven't practiced magic in three years and you can just do that?" Emma could hardly believe it.

"I'm not out of practice and I'm quite knowledgeable now, more so than I ever was in Storybrooke or the Enchanted Forest. This is why it was so easy for me to come up with a solution for the well and determine it was Rumple who tampered with the damn thing in the first place," Regina replied.

Neal scowled. "What the hell do you think he was trying to do?"

"Probably draw magic from the well and try to use it to leave the town with magic," Regina said.

Neal shook his head. "He'll never want to give up that power."

"No. Hopefully, Snow and her shepherd discovered him before he figured out the town line was no longer cursed. I don't want that man showing up on our doorstep again," Regina said.

"That makes two of us," Neal agreed.

"Don't worry. If he does, I'm arresting his ass for trespassing and harassment," Emma declared.

Regina smiled. "Ever the white knight."

"Why white? Why not red knight?" Emma pondered. Regina and Neal both smiled. Emma was so gone.

"I'm going to change the dressing on your wound after I put Lucia in bed," Regina said, running her hand through Emma's hair. Tomorrow, she would pamper the hell out of her wife, starting with her favorite breakfast foods.

"Our bed, please," Emma requested, glancing down at their baby girl.

Regina smiled. "Of course."

"I'll get Henry up to his room," Neal offered. He was the only one who could move Henry and it would be a struggle for him.

"You staying?" Emma asked.

"Yeah, I think I will." This was not a surprise.

Regina grabbed Lucia while Emma slowly rose to her feet, following Regina up to their bedroom. She put Lucia down in their bed and then turned her attention to Emma, who pulled her shirt off. The gauze taped to her side was hardly red and the wound in her side looked like was old, somewhat bruised and yellowish, even though she had just gotten it that afternoon. There were some dark blue lines going through it, though, signs of Blue's magic. Blue had infected Emma, trying to end the Savior over who had rights to Lucia.

"Sorry I couldn't heal this better," Regina apologized as she went to their bathroom, needing medical supplies.

Emma scoffed as she slumped over a little. "You healed it. I'm the one who just wanted to get the hell outta there and rushed you through it." She wiggled, undoubtedly trying to get comfortable, even though the wound pained her. A tight grimace ripped through her face, but she did not make a sound over the agony.

"I don't blame you," Regina replied as she returned to the bedroom. She had not been dying to stay there either.

Emma groaned as she finally found a position she liked, slumped over the edge of the bed. "Do you ever wonder what went wrong with those people?"

Regina shook her head and went to work on Emma's side, wanting to put antiseptic on it despite it being scabbed over. She would wait until tomorrow to see what it looked like to decide if she wanted to chance using magic on it. "No, they don't generally enter my mind anymore and back when I had to see them, I thought about them in terms of being gnats, little pests, creatures to be destroyed when they annoyed me. I can only assume they don't like exercising free will. Whatever the case, we don't have to worry about them anymore."

Emma nodded. "Never again."

"Agreed." Storybrooke would have to learn to fix its own damn problems.

Regina quickly finished with the bandage. She probably would not have to change it again. She would keep checking on it, though. Emma eased back into her shirt. Regina leaned down to give Emma a little peck on the lips.

"All better?" Regina inquired.

Emma wiggled a bit, wincing as she moved. "It hurts a bit, but it's nothing too bad. Nothing some homemade donut holes couldn't cure." She flashed a hopeful, charming smile.

Regina chuckled. "Of course." She would make some tomorrow.

"You know the donuts are the reason I work with you, right?" Emma teased, showing she would definitely be all right.

"Yes, I'm sure the donuts are the only reason," Regina replied drolly.

They crawled into bed, both moving close to Lucia, even though they knew she would end up across both of them. Toddlers slept like madmen, but this bed had never felt so good. Lucia could sleep as twisted as she wanted.

"Do you think my parents will actually make their way back here?" Emma asked as Regina reached across Lucia to rest her hand on Emma's thigh. They both leaned in and kissed Lucia before settling back on their pillows.

"I'm not sure." Regina was not sure what Snow and David would do. These were the same people who did not want to discuss anything with Emma and shocked her with news of a sibling without even having a talk with her about her own childhood or about them leaving her. Regina did not doubt that Snow and David loved Emma, but they did not seem to know how to be parents to her. Making it worse, they did not seem interested in trying to figure it out.

Emma's hand found Regina's arm and Emma sighed. "You know what? Out of all of this, I'm happy I grew up here."

This did not surprise Regina. "Because of microwavable nachos?" she teased.

Emma laughed. "Those are definitely a good reason, but I just feel like I have a better moral guide than a lot of you guys and I grew up without parents."

Regina rolled her eyes. "In my defense, my mother was crazy, missing a heart, and murdered someone in front of me. Let's not even discuss the fact that she was conned by a sociopath into having me for his own nefarious gain." She was fairly certain in any world, she would have been a mess.

"Yeah, but does everyone have that excuse? And even if they do, why do they all have that excuse? If not that one, what excuse do they have? It's crazy for everyone to have an excuse. I'm just happy that didn't happen to me. Don't get me wrong, a lot of foul shit did happen to me, but I made it out okay and I think I'm finally okay with that."

"We are who we are because of past circumstances."

Emma took Regina's hand into her own and squeezed it tight. "Yeah. I hope we can make those circumstances good for Luce and Henry."

"We will." Three years out of Storybrooke and Henry was blossoming. They could not be more proud of him. Lucia would hopefully be the same.

"I love you and our family."

Regina smiled. "I love you as well and our family. Now, you should get some sleep. You're still hurt."

Emma nodded. Regina carefully sat up, not wanting to wake up Lucia. She placed a soft kiss to Emma's lips. Emma kissed her back and they settled down for the night.

Regina did not fall asleep immediately, despite how comfortable the bed was. She just watched Lucia, as did Emma. It was not clear how much time went by, but their door creaked open. Henry poked his head in.

"Moms?" Henry called.

"Come in, sweetheart." Regina waved him in.

Henry practically jumped into the room, closing the door behind him. For the night, they all forgot he was a teenager as he crawled into bed next to Regina. He hugged her and then reached over to mess with Lucia's fingers.

"You okay, buddy?" Emma asked, sitting up just enough to have a clear view of Henry.

"That was scary. I thought I was gonna lose all of you," Henry admitted in a low voice.

"It'll take a lot more than that to get rid of us," Regina said.

"Yeah, we still have to embarrass you for prom, after all," Emma remarked.

Henry chuckled a bit. "I already know Mom's going to flip that she's not a princess and you're going to flip no matter what."

"I will have you know I wasn't always a princess," Regina said.

"Yeah, but being royal might as well be sown into your skin now," Henry replied.

"He's right. I've seen you do some pretty regular things in a regal manner," Emma added.

Regina scoffed. "Is there anything you want to talk about Henry?"

"No, I'm just trying to process this whole thing. I mean, I already knew the Blue Fairy was sketchy thanks to Dad and, plus, she never helped you, but I didn't think she did stuff like this. It never even occurred to me that changelings could be real, but for her to target Luce just because she's yours…" Henry shook his head. "And then the townspeople actually shooting at you guys for trying to rescue Luce…" He blew out a long breath and rubbed his forehead.

"Well, you know everyone in town isn't like that, Henry. There's some good people in Storybrooke," Emma pointed out. This was true.

Henry nodded. "Not enough." He looked down at his sister. "I know she doesn't really remember anything, but do you think she'll be okay?"

"She's fine," Regina assured Henry. Lucia was strong, apparently. Hopefully, the pixie dust had not done anything to her that they had failed to notice.

"I'm glad. I've never felt so mad while watching them shot at you while you were trying to just get Luce back. I wondered if that's how you used to feel all the time, Mom. I mean, I felt like I could've killed them," Henry confessed.

Regina turned and ran her hand through his hair. "You don't have to think like that anymore, Henry. It's done and over. Not to mention, we're not going back there. You don't have to worry about them." She hated that they made her little prince feel that way, though. He did not need that on his soul.

Henry nodded. "Yeah. I didn't expect the town to be so… crazy."

"It's not everyone," Emma reminded him.

Henry nodded again. He stuck around for about an hour, watching them, being watched. Without a verbal goodnight, he kissed them both on the cheek and went back to his room. Hopefully, he was all right, but it was good to know he would come to them if he needed to talk.

"We're doing okay, huh?" Emma said.

Regina reached out for her wife. "Despite it all, yes, we're doing okay." And this was true. With this thought, she was able to sleep, after Emma drifted off anyway.

-8-8-8-8-

After a week, things seemed to be back to normal. It was Emma's day off and she was in the den with Lucia, playing with her blocks. The doorbell rang. Emma gave Lucia a strange look.

"You expecting someone, kiddo?" It was noon, so everyone else was at work or school. Maybe it was a package.

Lucia giggled. "Mama!"

"I don't think that's Mama."

Lucia's face scrunched up in thought. "Hen?"

"I doubt it's Hen either. Let's go check it out."

Lucia nodded with excitement. They made their way to the door and there stood Ruby, in all of her glory. Emma let loose a squeal that made Lucia jump while Ruby grabbed her into a hug. Okay, so maybe she and Regina had broken the Curse completely.

"What are you doing here?" Emma asked, pulling her friend into the house.

"Trying to build a life outside of Storybrooke. I've come to learn from the masters, if you don't mind," Ruby replied.

Emma laughed. "I don't mind. I'm sure Regina won't mind either and Henry, of course, will love to see you again."

"He just wants to interview me more." Ruby turned her attention down to Lucia. "Hey, Luce, you remember me?"

Lucia nodded. "Ruby. Fun stories."

"That's right! Can I get a hug?"

Lucia wasted no time in doing such. Emma gave Ruby the grand tour. Ruby was obviously impressed with the place, but Emma was not surprised. Ruby had not seen much in the way of housing in this realm. Well, and the house was freaking awesome.

"You're doing mighty well for yourself, Emma," Ruby said as they settled in the living room.

Emma placed Lucia on the red and white carpet to let her play with her toys. "Well, it's a team effort."

Ruby nodded. "You got a good team."

"I know. You know you're part of that team, right?"

Ruby grinned. "Wouldn't be here if I didn't. It's all right that I'm here, right?"

"Of course, Rubes. Granny was okay with you leaving?"

Ruby nodded. "The plan is for me to get settled and she's going to join me. She's trying to sell the diner and the B and B. She's also going to try to talk Tinker Bell into coming since she's already over most of the town anyway."

"I doubt Tink will need much convincing."

Ruby shook her head. "Probably not. She's been trying to explain to people that the Blue Fairy wasn't a freaking god with the way they worship her and what Regina did to her was something she deserves."

"You've seen the Blue Fairy?"

Ruby shrugged. "People went to see her, trying to help her. Tinker Bell couldn't believe people would do that after actually seeing her kidnap a child and finally being confronted with the fact that there had been a couple of missing kids in Storybrooke." Shaking her head, she sighed. "People are stupid."

"Yeah, but you don't have to deal with them and Tink doesn't anymore either. Like I said, it won't take much to convince her."

"I had hoped Belle wouldn't need much either, but she's going to stick it out since she's married to fucking Gold. I still don't understand that one."

Emma snorted. "That makes two of us. I mean, I know I'm all married to the Evil Queen and whatnot, but Regina's even said that felt like a lifetime ago. I know she's changed while Belle knows Gold is still slime. What happened with him, anyway?"

"We managed to catch him before he went over the town line and last I checked he was in jail with squid ink keeping him in. Snow and David are trying to get him to confess to messing with the well, but he's denying it. I'm hoping this will be the thing to get Belle to see the light and understand he'll always be a selfish prick."

Emma nodded. She knew there was something there between Ruby and Belle, but she did not want to ask about it right now. It might just hurt Ruby. It was nice to know her parents caught Gold before he got away, though. He almost destroyed the town and for what?

"Anyway, are other people leaving?" Emma asked.

With a smile, Ruby nodded. "Yeah, there's a few people planning to follow me and Granny outta there. Storybrooke… it's not home and we definitely weren't happy with the way you got treated when you were in town. Something happened to those people and we just don't want to be around them anymore."

"What about Mary Margaret and David?" Emma did not want to call them her parents, even though she wanted to try to build a relationship with them. They had called the day after the Swan-Mills family got home, so that was a good thing.

"They're trying to hold it together, but…" Ruby shook her head. "I think this thing opened their eyes to a lot of stuff they'd been able to ignore before, especially with the Blue Fairy. Her trying to justify taking your kid… well, it was hard for them to work that out. It's hard for them to hear people defending her."

"Good. They shouldn't be able to work something like that out and they should hate that someone could defend what she did."

"Yeah, and to be honest, I've been wondering about a couple of the missing children's cases in Storybrooke. Was someone letting the fairies steal kids to be changelings? We lost a few fairies to Pestilence and fairies don't grow on trees. It's one thing to not think about it in the Enchanted Forest because the place is huge and everything, but Storybrooke is a few thousand people. Those kids… a bunch of people knew them and they're acting like it's okay if it was the fairies who took them."

Emma shook her head. "Ruby, don't think about it. You're free. It's a great place to be. We'll work on getting you settled. Me, Regina, and Henry."

With a smile, Ruby nodded. "You're a good friend."

Emma shrugged. "To a select few."

A few hours later when Henry came in, he was surprised and pleased to see Ruby. Regina seemed less surprised when she came in. She agreed to allow Ruby to stay at the house until Ruby got on her feet. Ruby did not need as much as they had had needed at first. The way the Curse broke, Storybrooke was now a real place and everyone's papers were real, too. Ruby just wanted to get out of there, so she needed a home and job. They helped her find those things nearby. Eventually, Granny joined her, as promised and it never occurred to Ruby that living with her grandmother could be remotely uncool.

Tinker Bell also left with Granny. She needed a little more help than Ruby and Granny, as she did not have any papers and, unfortunately, no practice in being in this world. But, they all helped her out. She seemed relieved to be away from the Blue Fairy and magic. She, Ruby, and Granny were welcome at the Swan-Mills residence whenever they wanted to stop by.

Slowly, but surely other people leaving Storybrooke contacted them. Most were not bold enough to show up at their door, but they got several phone calls. Neither of them minded. It would be almost two months before Emma heard from her parents again, though.

The first few phone calls from her parents were awkward, after the one checking up on her anyway. They were silent, not knowing what to talk to her about. At first, they filled her in on Gold and the Blue Fairy. Gold remained locked away, still refusing to admit to doing anything to the well. Blue, though, had confessed to letting Gold toy with the well, claiming she hoped to open a portal to return to the Enchanted Forest. Margaret and David did not believe her. They suspected Blue made a deal with Gold to leave town and be rid of him while also hoping he had enough power to eliminate Regina, who she continued to insist was a far greater evil. Emma rolled her eyes.

After that, Mary Margaret always inevitably told her about Leopold and his development. Emma did not mind. It was hard to think of him as a brother from meeting him just once and having this rift between their parents, but she did not mind Leopold. Besides, she had kids of her own to go on about. Mary Margaret and David listened to her boast about Henry and Lucia and even asked questions of their own. Sometimes, they spoke to Henry and even tried to speak with Lucia, but it was impossible to have a phone conversation with a toddler.

Eventually, though, Mary Margaret and David turned up. They started small. They came for weekends, always making sure to stay at a hotel. Then, they started popping up for holidays. Leopold ended up very attached to Regina, who called him "Leo," never Leopold. Emma knew why and did the same. Leo and Luce ended up good friends and became known as a dynamic duo around their little slice of suburbia.

-8-8-8-8-

It had been fifteen years since they last saved Storybrooke and they had lived up to their vow to never return. Lucia was now sixteen and Regina took her to get her first tattoo. Lucia had not shown any signs of magic, not even when she was highly emotional, but Regina would rather be on the safe side. Emma decided to tag along as well.

Over the years, they had explained many things to Lucia, from her birth to her close call with magic. Lucia did not remember any of this, but she did have nightmares of the Blue Fairy even now. Beyond that, she thought it was cool that her mothers would let her have a tattoo, even if she did not get to pick it out exactly. Regina had given her a list of symbols to choose from.

She understood why she would get the tattoo. Talks about magic had been going on around her for as long as she could remember thanks to her grandparents and Leo, who still lived in Storybrooke. Lucia expressed some curiosity recently, wanting to go visit Leo. They would wait and see about that. For now, they needed to make sure Lucia did not accidentally steal someone's energy or blow something up when she got angry or turn into a full fledge demon.

"Leo will be super jealous," Lucia snickered, looking at her wrist as the tattoo artist finished up. She took the needle like a champ, which made Emma smile proudly.

Regina had all of her tattoos restored after they burned off during that horrible day in Storybrooke. She had not felt the pull of her magic, the demonic magic, or even True Love magic since that day, but it was best to be safe. Sometimes, she was certain she burned herself out, but it did not matter. She did not doubt she and Emma still had true love, but they did not need it reaffirmed every three seconds like certain couples in the Enchanted Forest. They lived like everyone else in this realm, they had faith in each other and in their relationship.

"It's looking good," Emma commented, her face rather close to the tattoo needle. She glanced up and winked at their daughter.

"I've done enough of Regina's tats for you to know my work is always excellent," the artist replied.

Emma glanced at the artist and smirked. "Your modesty could use some work, though."

The artist scoffed. "You're the last person to talk about modesty. I'd say some things, but your daughter is here."

"Thank you for not sharing." Lucia laughed a little and then stopped, fearing her tattoo would get messed up.

As soon as the tattoo was done, Lucia was on the phone, calling her brother. Henry lived in LA with his girlfriend. He was there for work. He had become a best-selling author with his "Alternative Fairy Tales" series. Basically, the stories he had been writing — biographies for citizens of the Enchanted Forest — were now novels and people loved them. He did not publish any stories unless he had the permission of the people from the Enchanted Forest. So far, he had six novels out, Snow White, The Evil Queen, Peter Pan, Rumpelstiltskin, The Prince and the Pauper, and Red Riding Hood. Each book told the individual stories of the titled characters, although Peter Pan was more about him and his dad than Peter Pan. He was now working on connecting all of those tales, just as they had connected in real life. A movie studio wanted to talk about a movies series.

Henry indulged Lucia as she bragged about her tattoo and how she had not flinched while getting it. This was important because when Henry got his first tattoo, he complained about the pain for a week. The parents could practically hear Henry rolling his eyes.

"He thinks he's so cool because he has more than one tattoo now," Lucia said, giving her mothers a sneer that was meant for her brother.

"Well, he's got a few years on you, Luce," Emma pointed out. "Let's go get some lunch for the tough girl." There were a few places to eat within walking distance.

Regina agreed with that and Lucia practically chirped at the idea. She had inherited Emma's appetite, and also her sweet tooth. Unlike Emma, Lucia liked to bake, so she could make her own sweets. But, Emma did not need to know how to bake as she had a wife and daughter who both loved to do it.

"Oh, can we go show Uncle Neal after?" Lucia inquired.

"If he's home, of course," Regina replied.

Lucia grinned. "He'll flip."

Regina smiled, but she doubted it. Neal wanted her to get Lucia a tattoo sooner than she did. She and Emma did not see the point of it, though, and he conceded they were the parents. This was their main job. It did not involve magic, curses — unless they were coming from Emma over a boy daring to court their baby girl — or anything truly deadly.

What it did involve was freaking out over Lucia wearing makeup, making sure her grades stayed perfect as she had dreams of going to Stanford, freaking out when she was out beyond her curfew, and telling her that debating with her uncle did not count as practice for the debate team. Lucia was not a difficult child by far, even now as a teenager.

For them, it was more difficult about the people their daughter attracted. Lucia was gorgeous and intelligent, which Emma liked to say she got from Regina. She was also street smart and witty, which she inherited from Emma. People flocked to her. Sometimes, it was the wrong type of people, but Lucia generally hung out with good kids with her mothers rarely having to express concerns.

"Thanks, Mom." Lucia leaned over and kissed Regina's cheek. "And, thanks, Ma." She kissed Emma next. No, not a difficult child at all.

Lucia moved ahead of them, giving them the illusion of privacy. Regina and Emma put their arms around each other's waists and smiled at each other. Emma pulled her close. Rumple had been right about one thing. Regina's happy ending could not have possibly been in the Enchanted Forest because it was right here.

"Can we get ice cream after lunch?" Lucia asked with a beaming grin, interrupting her mother's thoughts.

"Uh, I think it would be weirder for us to not get ice cream! How is that even a question?" Emma laughed.

Regina shook her head. "What am I going to do with you?"

"You've been asking this question for twenty years. Let it go," Emma replied with a grin of her own. Lucia grinned with her and it was hard to believe they were not blood related. But, Lucia was Emma's daughter through and through. Yes, this was a very happy ending.

The End.

-8-8-8-8-

Thank you for sticking around for another tale from this Lunatic. I'm going to return to my padded cell, but I will be back. I hope you return when I do. And, if you would, please, maybe check out my books under the name S.L Kassidy over at Amazon. There are links on my profile. Thank you again. I appreciate all of the support.


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